Keeps Getting Better
by Lilac Alyssa Halliwell
Summary: What if Chris didn't die? What if, instead, he was sent home to future he created? Complete
1. Character Sheet

**Author's Note**: Five and half years ago, I was obsessed with Charmed. When Drew Fuller joined the cast as Chris, I was ecstatic. Not only because he had wonderful character development, but because he was easy on the eyes (I had just finished 7th grade; give me a break). Anyways, I saw all these sad fanfictions about Chris' trial and tribulations and they made my heart ache. I felt so bad for Chris and his awful past and these works really tugged on the heartstrings for me. I decided to go with a less popular approach (though still a common one) and wrote a story where Chris had died in the past and woke up in the future he created.

Unfortunately…I was only twelve or so and all I wanted to do was create characters. None of the characters had much of a personality and some of them were characterized in a dramatic manner. I loved the story I wrote, but I doubt it made much sense to the readers. This was the longest work of Fanfiction I've ever written to date and it was written over five years ago. During the finals week of college, I would get up earlier and watch Charmed. Again I was hooked. Watching episodes with Chris only solidified my love for the show and I thought about those many years ago when I'd written this story.

Eventually, I knew I owed it to myself to work on this story a little bit, at least to clear up some cohesive errors. So, I present you with my edited version of "It just keeps getting better and better". Feel free to review it, but I mostly created the story as a promise to myself. And if you think this version is bad, check out the version from 2004 ;)

Character Sheet:

Alana Halliwell (nee Thompson) - 22 years old (Born December 2004) - Wyatt's wife & Matthew's mother

Jacob Halliwell - Parents: Coop and Phoebe - 18 years old (born Fall 2009) - Jacob is in last year of magic school. He has dark brown hair, hazel eyes and stands at 5'11.

Rachel Halliwell - Parents: Coop and Phoebe - 18 years old (Born Fall 2009) - Like her twin brother Jacob, Rachel is in her last year of magic school. She has medium length dark red hair, hazel eyes and stands at 5'6.

Emily Halliwell "Emma" - Parents: Piper & Leo - 17 years old (Born January 2010) - Emma is half-whitelighter. Emma has medium dark brown hair, green eyes and stands at 5'4.

Michael Halliwell - Parents: Coop and Phoebe - 15 years old (Born 2012) - Michael is Phoebe's youngest son. He stands at 5'6, has dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes.

Penelope Halliwell II "Penny" - Parents: Paige & Henry -14 years old (2013) - Penny is the oldest child of Paige and Henry. She is close to her cousin Michael. She has auburn hair, light eyes and stands at 5'3.

Carter Halliwell - Parents: Paige & Henry - 10 years old (Born Winter 2016) - He is over-protective when dealing with his younger sister Nicole, but would do anything for his family. He has dark brown hair, light green eyes and stands at 4'9.

Nicole Halliwell "Nikki" - Parents: Paige & Henry - 6 years old (Born 2021) - Nicole is in her first year of magical studies in magic school. She's the average height of a six year old, has brown hair and blue eyes.

Katherine Halliwell "Katie" - Parents: Coop & Phoebe - 3 years old (Born Winter 2023) - Katie is Phoebe's youngest child and the youngest child of all the Charmed Ones. As a consequence, she is constantly spoiled and protected by others. Rachel called the conception of Katherine "a twisted miracle" that she didn't need (She was fourteen). She has light hair and light blue eyes.

Matthew Halliwell "Matty; Matt" - Parents: Wyatt & Alana Halliwell - Born: 2025 - Matthew is the two year old son of Wyatt and Alana. He is also Piper and Leo's first grandchild. He has dirty blonde hair and light eyes.


	2. Welcome Home

**Author's Note:** If you have any questions about the characters and/or get confused, refer to the character sheet.

_June 2055_

"Tell me a story" one of my twin granddaughters pleaded. A toothless smile soon accompanied her pleas.

"Yeah, tell us the story!" seconded the other twin, Angel. Angel didn't speak after that remark and instead became distracted by her auburn ringlets.

I pondered their suggestion for a moment, before agreeing; "Okay" I caved in. My granddaughters have been the limelight of my life since the day they were born, three springs ago. I should be used to children; I have three of my own and my entire life I've been surrounded by cousins of all ages, but the transition from being a child to being a parent is one that impacts you for years on end.

"Tell us an exciting story." Angel suggested to me. I'm eternally grateful that my son and his wife choose to name her Angela instead of Angel. Angela is the most likely to gather vanity from such a title.

"I'll take us back about thirty years." I explained to the girls in a mystifying tone.

"Why then?" Madison asked, while tugging on my sleeve.

"Because that's when it all began." I answered her, not daring to let go of my narrative tone.

"That's a long time? Whoever the story is about is old by now!" Angel exclaimed in a haughty tone.

"Possibly, but that is when the story takes place." I corrected her with an insulted look, "This story is about Chris Halliwell."

"Chris!" the twins shouted enthusiastically, their volume upsetting the cat.

"Well, the story begins with…"

_October 2027  
_  
"Kis, ged up!" came an impatient command.

Chris stirred for a moment, and then opened his eyes. A toddler between the ages of two and four was jumping eccentrically around Chris. He was so dazed, that he couldn't slow the child down enough to recognize it. Finally, Chris pulled the jumping child down and asked, "Who are you?"

"You know who I am; I'm Katie." The girl said with a giggle.

Chris couldn't recall any Katies' that he had met in the past two years. He found this so odd because Katie is a fairly common name. Chris stared at Katie intently; her dirty blonde hair and blue eyes looked so familiar. Almost like a long lost relative. Chris knew better; He had no surviving relatives. The only Katie he could remember was the child of his aunt Phoebe. Katie was Phoebe's fourth child, born in 2016. She had died in Wyatt's care. After Wyatt had ruled over the future, he left Katie to fend for herself in the dungeons. She starved.

"Jump on the bed with me!" the young girl ordered. Chris looked up. 'Where am I?' he asked himself. Chris smiled at the innocence of this child; it was a trait he hoped his family would enjoy in the future he had worked for. In that future Katie could be alive!

"What day is it?" Chris asked Katie.

"Sunday?" Katie answered him, then added, "Sun-day Oct-ober 3 two thous-and twenny se-ven" and pointed three fingers in his face to show him the date.

'Given this little girl is right, I'd be home nearly a month before my twenty-third birthday. I'm a year and half from when I left, but why? I don't get to make up the time I missed?' Chris wondered, 'Did I really make it home? How?'

Chris grinned for a moment. Could Katie be alive? If this world was real, Chris wondered, who else would be waiting for him. "You have to make me jump." He said to the toddler who had been prodding him for the last five minutes.

Katie pondered for a moment, and then said quietly "I want to bounce on this bed with Cousin Chris, make us bounce on this flouncing bliss." A few weak sparkles surrounded Chris, but he felt nothing happen. "You have to bounce now." She said with a tone of authority.

Chris smiled at her purity. The spell she casted would never work because she was too young, but envied her spirit to persevere. In addition, Chris found jumping on the bed to be a great stress reliever. He was so distracted by the antics of his toddler relative, that he didn't notice a body leaning in the frame of the door.

"Are you enjoying yourselves, children?" the figure asked the pair.

"Bianca?" Chris asked with disbelief, he jumped off the bed and look directly into her eyes. It really was her! Chris, so very much, wanted to tell Bianca how glad he was that she was alive, but he didn't want to alarm her.

"Mother wants us downstairs for breakfast, sweetheart." Bianca said, an expression of bemusement was inerasable from her face, "Are you feeling better?" She asked him.

'Am I okay?' Chris thought to himself with a laugh, 'You were dead the last time I saw you.' Chris couldn't control himself and immediately leaned in for a kiss, "Good morning to you too." She said with a teasing smile.

'Bianca's alive. Mom might be alive too!' He thought to himself.

"Before we go down there, I want to talk to you about something." Bianca added in a soft tone.

Chris' expression became melancholy, 'Maybe this world isn't as good as I believe.' Then he looked at her for a moment and was grateful that Bianca was alive. 'As long as she's alive, I think I could be okay.' He smiled at Bianca encouragingly, "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure yet," Bianca said hesitantly, "Katie, why don't you go downstairs and save us a seat."

"Okay" Katie said in a cheerful tone.

"Chris. I'm pregnant." Bianca said to him, "I know you didn't want a baby yet…"

'A baby?' Chris asked himself, 'We never talked about it. In our world, bringing a baby into the world was the last thing we wanted to do. This world is safer, so why not?'

Chris smiled at Bianca, then lowered his eyes to her stomach, "So, I'm really going to be a father?"

"So, you're not upset?" Bianca asked him.

Chris looked down guiltily, "I'm not mad. I love you. I'll love our baby too." He encompassed her in his arms, "I'll keep us safe."

They walked down stairs for breakfast, he bumped into someone. "Sorry" Chris said automatically.

"Watch out, Chris" The girl chastised him. Chris looked down at the girl. 'Emily?' Chris asked himself, 'She made it to this future. She deserves this life more than anyone.'

"Good morning Emma" Bianca said to her.

"I'd love to chat it up, guys, but I've got an older brother to destroy." She said to them and stalked off.

"What's with her?" Chris asked Bianca.

"Wyatt's probably upset her again. It's not unlikely." Bianca explained to him, with an expression of bewilderment.

________

Emma knocked on Wyatt's door with a bang. Wyatt opened the door, "Good morning little sister." He said in a cheerful mood.

"Morning," she muttered in a bitter tone, "Wyatt, you and Alana need to keep it down at night. I shouldn't have to hear your encounters."

"That is what married people do, little sister." Wyatt teased.

"How about you conceive your children while I'm out of the house? Thanks!" She said abruptly and slammed the door in his face.

Wyatt stood there with a smirk, before beginning to laugh. Alana kissed him on the cheek, "Emma's right, Wyatt. We shouldn't be causing her a disturbance, it's not fair."

"What's she going to do? She's seventeen." Wyatt said with a chuckle.

"Good morning Chris," Said a teenage girl strawberry blonde hair.

"Morning" Chris said hesitantly. 'I have no idea who this girl is. How am I going to save myself from this situation?'

"You shouldn't worry," The teenage girl said to him, "Read this and you'll do fine."

Bianca left to use the bathroom as Chris opened the letter.

"I know your story. You landed here last night. You were injured by a stab wound. Wyatt tried to heal you, but wouldn't him. Eventually, you fell into unconsciousness. Wyatt healed you while you slept. I had gone to get you some water and when I came back, I saw it all through a premonition; Wyatt torturing others and your journey to save him. I can't imagine how emotional that must be and I'm sorry that I invaded your privacy. I know this future is different from your own, so why don't I fill you in?

**Wyatt is** twenty-four, he's married to a whitelighter Alana. They have a toddler son, **Matthew**. Aunt Phoebe has four children: _Rachel and Jacob are eighteen_; they are always together and are the closest of friends**. Michael is fifteen **and an empath, he's kind and quiet. Katie is the youngest, she's four years old. Her power is premonitions. My mother has three children: **I'm Penny and I'm fourteen years old**, I can see the past. _Carter_, my younger brother is ten. Right now his sole power is to orb, he's a little sensitive about that. Nicole is six years old, she has the power of telekinesis. As you know, Wyatt has several powers that he flaunts to everyone. _Emma _is seventeen and has the power to blow things up and to freeze.

That's all I can think of, but if you have any questions feel free to ask me."

Chris stared at the letter, trying to absorb all the content.

______

"No fair!" Matthew whined to his father Wyatt. Wyatt and Matt had been racing down the stairs; Wyatt always cheated by orbing.

"You're right," Wyatt relented, "How about you orb?" He offered.

Matthew nodded and Wyatt counted it down. At the time mark Wyatt ran quickly down the stairs and Matthew orbed. Unfortunately for Matthew, he hadn't perfected his orbing power. He landed about four feet midair.

Chris ran in instinctively, "what happened?" Matthew burst into tears and Chris tried to comfort him, "You'll be okay, buddy."

Matthew whimpered, "Heal"

"I can't" Chris said weakly. 'This is a nightmare' He thought to himself, 'What go am I without the power to heal?'

"Chris?" Wyatt asked his brother in confused tone, "What's wrong with your powers?"

Chris hesitated to touch the developing bump on his nephew's head. Chris' hands glowed, his eyes widened in surprise. 'I can heal?' Chris heard a jingle; he had gotten some help from his father. 'Thanks dad'

Wyatt grabbed Matthew out of Chris' arms, "You're fine, right?" Matthew nodded, "Thank your uncle."

"Thank you." Matthew wiped his tears.

"No problem." Chris said, still shocked.

"Looks like you're my only respectable sibling this morning." Wyatt muttered.

"What did she do?" Chris asked, raising his eyebrows. 'I guess it doesn't matter where Emily is, she has to torture Wyatt in some way.'

Wyatt twitched in an uncomfortable way, "It doesn't matter. Hey Chris. I'm sorry."

"For what?" Chris asked, 'For everything?' he answered himself.

"After Penelope got her premonition this morning, I accidentally read her mind."

'Accidentally, my ass' Chris thought bitterly.

"You're right, it wasn't on accident. She looked bothered and I wanted to help her. I saw everything from that other life. I'm sorry your life was like that."

"I went back to save you, Wyatt. So please don't mention it. This future is what I've always wanted." Chris said to him finally, 'At least I think so'


	3. Legacy

**Author's Note:** If you have any questions about the characters and/or get confused, refer to the character sheet.

* * *

Chris had spent most of the day in Piper's room relaxing. He had been eager to meet his family, but at the same time he was also nervous. Instead of meeting them, he avoided them. That was a curious thought to Wyatt, who had wanted to speak with him some more. Instead, Wyatt spent the day with his soon.

Wyatt stirred a bit in his bed. As soon as he heard his son whimper, he got up and walked over to the crib. "What's wrong, buddy?" He asked in a gentle tone. Matthew put up a shield. Wyatt blinked his eyes; Matthew had never put up his shield around his father before. Wyatt put his hand on the crib hesitantly and channeled Matthew's premonition.

_ "You thought you could escape me?" Wyatt taunted a heavily pregnant Alana and a glaring Matthew, "That doesn't happen, dear." He said to them. His hair was long and curly and he had facial hair. _

"_Wyatt, please let us go" Alana begged. Her dirty blonde hair was matted with blood. _

"_Of course" Wyatt said continuing to smirk. He telekinetically opened a door, which lead to outside._

_Matthew put up his shield untrustingly. Wyatt smirked at this, "Doesn't Matty trust 'daddy'?"_

_Wyatt waved his hand in a swift motion and the Matthew's shield receded, "Don't do that again." He warned his son._

_Alana looked shocked and even more afraid than before, she got in front of Matthew in order to protect him. "Alana, you didn't think a toddler could stand a chance against me, even if he is my own son?"_

"_I had hoped so, Wyatt," Alana said with a nasty glare, "You've done so much to so many innocent people. You've killed so callously."_

"_So it stands to reason, that two more wouldn't hurt." Wyatt created a fireball and fired it at Alana and Matt. "And then there were none" Alana and Matt's were blinded by the light of the fireball._

Wyatt looked around, a bit confused and realized he was crying. Matthew looked into Wyatt's eyes and his shield receded. Matthew began to cry. Immediately Wyatt grabbed his son from his crib and whispered to him, "I would never do that to you." He then began to rock his son until he fell asleep.

Wyatt got up and walked to the start of the stairs, he sat down. He needed to think.

"What you doing up?" Chris asked as he sat down next to Wyatt.

"What are you doing here?" Wyatt asked reversing the question.

"I used to always get up early in the past; I would look in the book of shadows, to see if I could find the demon that turned you. Well, that was waste of time, because this 'demon' wasn't in the book. Gideon was always preachy, but I didn't think evil." Chris muttered in a bitter tone.

"Why don't you go and catch up on your missed sleep" Wyatt said trying to avoid talking about what he saw, "I'll wake you in four millennia."

"Can't get rid of me that easy" Chris said laughing, "What's wrong?"

"I killed them in the alternate future, didn't I?" Wyatt asked Chris. His head looked down. Chris looked at him uncomfortably. "Why?" Wyatt asked softly. Chris didn't answer.

"Why Chris?!" Wyatt shouted at him.

"Because that's what you did!" Chris yelled angrily, "You enjoyed watching people die a painful death!"

"It's not you; I'm yelling at the wrong person," Chris scolded himself, then added "I might as well tell the whole story. It's not a pretty story, though, so I don't have to tell you if you don't want to." Chris said still uneasy.

"I need to hear this" Wyatt said bracing himself for horrors he couldn't imagine.

"Alana worked with injured innocents, in a shelter-type place. When you found out, you were outraged, you came in and killed everyone except Alana. You liked her. In turn for her spared life you choose her as your wife or something. Eventually, she became pregnant..." Chris stopped when he saw Wyatt's tears, "I can't tell you this, it's is cruel and wrong."

"I need hear this" Wyatt said wiping his tears.

"She gave birth to Matthew. These were some depraved conditions. After she gave birth, you raped her again. She again became pregnant. One day, she tried to escape and that was the end" Chris said, he looked at Wyatt who was again crying "Wyatt, you're different know, that's what matterd. You are married: you have a wife that you love to death. A son, that you that you also love, this time Matthew is a result of love not hate" Chris pointed out.

"What are you guys doing?" A sleepy Emma asked from the bottom of the stairs. She climbed up to the top. "Wyatt, are you okay?"

"Finding out I killed my son" Wyatt mumbled incoherently.

Emma gave Wyatt a strange look, "You would never kill Matthew. Don't speak like that." She put her hand on Wyatt's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. She was pulled into his memories.

_A disheveled Chris orbed into a dark room, surrounded by metallic, "Grab my hand! Hurry!" _

"_Who are you?" Alana asked in a fearful tone._

"_Hurry!" Chris yelled again, once he clasped her hand he orbed them out of the room. The fireball hit a wall._

"_Damn it" Wyatt yelled. The demons surrounding him vanished. _

_Chris, Alana and Matthew orbed into Bianca's house. Alana took a deep breath and started to cry, realizing what almost happened._

_Alana put her head on Bianca and Chris's shoulder. "Are you okay, Alana?" Bianca asked._

"_Yeah, I think so" she said shakily. Matthew whimpered at his mother's unhappiness._

_Emma orbed in, "Hey" she said softly. "Here drink this, it will make you feel better" Alana looked at the drink with hesitation. "It's okay, just drink it"_

"_What happened?" Chris asked._

_Alana took a drink and replied, "I tried to escape"._

_Chris gives her a look, which shows some thinking._

"_I know. I'm an idiot." Alana said softly, "I put Matthew at risk." _

"_You were quiet brave to try to escape our brother. He has power beyond comprehension" Emma said in contemplative tone._

"_Your brother?.." Alana paled after absorbing that fact, "Wyatt sent me to his family, to kill me" she realized. A tear trickled down her face._

"_Kill you?" Chris and Emma asked confused. Emma and Chris looked at each other. "Why would we kill you?" Chris asked._

"_You're Wyatt's family. It's not like you are just going to save me for no reason." Alana said_

"_Actually" Emma said, "That's exactly what we would do. We aren't like Wyatt. Our job is to protect innocents; kind of like you did. Wyatt's a psycho and we are sane?" she asked Chris._

"_Not from my stand point" Chris said dryly._

"_Thanks" She said sarcastically._

"_So you fight against Wyatt?" Alana asked confused._

"_We despise Wyatt, but we love him" Emma explained, "I'm Emma, I'm 16. This is Chris, he's 21 and Bianca 25"_

"_Nice to meet you." She gave a small smile, but she quickly changed her expression, "Where is Matthew?" Alana asked worriedly._

"_He's fine, I'll get him." Chris orbed into another room. _

"_That's peculiar." Alana said quietly, her blue eyes twinkled in contemplation. "Matthew didn't put up his shield around you. If he trusts you, I trust you."_

Chris nodded gratefully.

"_How did you have a baby, weren't you imprisoned for 3 years?" Bianca asked curiously. _

_Alana sniffled softly, "Wyatt is the father. He forced me. I'll love my child, no matter who the father. Matthew is more like me than he'll ever be like his father. Same for this child."_

"_Wyatt. That bastard." Chris muttered darkly. _

"_This is Wyatt's son? I can see it. He looks like Wyatt with the deep blue eyes." Emma said tickling Matthew. "Hey Kiddo" Matthew giggled "He's cute. He's probably a handful" she stopped, Matthew orbed to Chris._

"_Hey buddy" Chris said ruffling his hair, "You were brave, you know. I don't a lot of people, who could go through all of this"._

_Matt orbed to Alana, "Baby" he said giggling, "baby, baby, baby" he said pointing to Alana's stomach. Alana smiled, "That's right honey, mommy is going to have another baby."_

End premonition.

"Emily? Are you okay?" Wyatt said shaking her.

Emma opened her eyes, "I need to go." She orbed out.

"Emily?" Wyatt asked the open air.

"Let her breathe." Chris suggested and orbed back to his own house.

Wyatt went back to his room. He kissed his son on the forehead and climbed into bed. He laid next to his wife, holding her close. The warmth made him feel safe again.


	4. Tuesday

**Author's Note:** If you have any questions about the characters and/or get confused, refer to the character sheet.

* * *

"Feeling a little bit less neurotic today?" Paige teased Chris. She handed Phoebe the coffee.

"Is this going to be the day we find the demon that turns Wyatt?'" Phoebe asked sarcastically as she poured her coffee.

Chris frowned. He didn't know why these remarks were funny to his Aunts. He knew that hadn't experienced the future he was from, but he wished they would give him a break. Chris rolled his eyes, "No. But I have no idea who most of the people living in this house are. My cover will be blown."

"We've got you covered, sweetheart," Piper said gingerly, "Ladies, wallets."

Chris give Piper a confused expression.

"When you have kids, you'll understand" Piper said rummaging through her wallet, then added a moment "Found it!" Piper said victoriously.

"Well there's Wyatt, you and Emma. Emma is 17" Piper said and gave him a photo of all three of them.

Emma looked so different to Chris. She still looked like a tomboy, but at the same time there was a quality of peace within her. She looked less skeptical and more like a normal teenager. Wyatt looked pretty different too. Wyatt was clean shaven and his smile held no malice. In fact it made Chris envious, because there was no doubt in his mind that his aunts preferred Wyatt.

"This is Rachel and that is Jacob." she pointed to the girl with dark red hair and boy with black hair. "and this is my husband Coop and I on our wedding day." She said pulling another photo out.

"Beware of the twins. They're tricksters." Paige said with a grin, "There quite a duo. They like to pull pranks. They are popular at magic school because of their humor. They also tend to show off."

"There's my other son, Michael" Phoebe interrupted "He's fifteen and an empath."

"You'll like Michael. He's just a neurotic as you are." Paige commented.

Phoebe gave page a dirty look, "He's a sweetheart though" Paige added.

Chris snorted.

"And my youngest one is Katie. She's three and half." Phoebe said "She has premonitions of the future."

"Well what's the difference?" Chris asked Phoebe.

"Katie has vision of the future, while Penelope has visions of the past." Piper explained to her son.

"My turn" Paige said, trying to lift the mood, "Penelope is fourteen years old. She has the power of premonition when dealing with the past. She also writes a column for magic school, 'Penny for your thoughts'."

"What a convenient pun," Chris said rolling his eyes, "I've met her already. She helped me after seeing a vision of what occurred in the past."

"Sounds like her to butt in" Paige said nodding. "I have a son, Carter, he's 10. He can orb, but he has yet to tune into any other powers. It upsets him; he's got a bit of a temper."

"How would you feel if you didn't have as many powers as your siblings?" Piper said in a defensive manner, "Carter is very kind."

"Nicole is six. She began her first year of magical studies this year." Paige said, "She's cute too" She handed him a picture of her three children. Penny had strawberry blonde hair and light eyes, Carter stood next to her. Carter's hair was a dark brown shade and his eyes were a soft shade of blue. Nikki also had dark brown hair.

"So in this order, it's: Rachel. Jacob. Emily. Michael. Penelope. Carter. Nicole. Katie." Chris asked them.

"You can't forget sweet Matthew." Piper said with pride. She handed Chris a photo of Wyatt, his wife and their toddler son."

The day went on without event, but the day that followed…

_Tuesday October 5__th__, 2027_

"8:00 AM!" Jacob yelled as he appeared. Jacob and Rachel smirked as they appeared in Chris and Bianca's room.

"You guys don't live here. You shouldn't do that." Chris muttered in a tired tone.

"We do this every weekday, Chris." Jacob explained dryly.

"Since when?" Chris whined.

"Since you were ten." Rachel said wryly.

"And you didn't find it appropriate to stop after I moved out?" Chris asked impatiently.

"You moved next door," Rachel said with a snort, "If you want to escape the system, you need to move farther away."

"I'm tempted." Bianca said grumpily.

Chris laughed, and then gave the twins a dirty look. They disappeared.

______________

"It is it time to start the day already?" Piper asked herself, "I'm getting old."

Within a few minutes, Jacob and Rachel were ready to attend school. "Ready?" Rachel asked Jacob with a smirk.

"Always am." Jacob agreed. The two disappeared.

"Carter, hurry up" Nicole called to him.

"Coming!" Carter yelled from the other room, he grabbed Nicole's hand, "Let's go."

The two orbed out of sight, Penny held on Michael and orbed them both into magic school.

"I am not ready for this," Emma muttered, "Good morning Matthew." She said sleepily. She gave her nephew a kiss on the cheek.

"What about me?" Wyatt suggested with a smirk.

"Not in a million years." Emma said haughtily, then orbed out.

Matthew giggled in bemusement, "Emma, Emma, Emma!" he said and orbed out.

"Matthew?" Wyatt asked with concern.

* * *

"Are you going to add them to your E-Drop?" Leslie asked. Leslie was a fellow witch at magic school.

"Of course, Pyro is a fantastic band." Emma said simply, "Hopefully, my mother will give the money to add it my E-Drop."

Leslie shot a dirty look at a younger student.

"What happened now?" Emma asked Leslie curiously.

"He decided to get my clothing all dirty yesterday. After I told mother that he had used magic for personal gain, he decided to use his elemental power to rip through the foundation of the house. Mud got all over me."

"My brother can be just as bad," Emma agreed, "He's twenty-five and still hasn't moved out of the house. Chris moved out when he got married. If it wasn't for the fact that I love Matthew, I'd kick Wyatt out myself."

"Looks like someone missed you." Leslie said in amusement.

"Emma, Emma, Emma" Matthew giggled as her orbed into her arms.

Emma looked at Matthew, "Sweetie, you need to go home."

He gave her a sad expression and she gave him an encouraging smile, "Fine, I'll take you, but you're going to make me late."

________

Emma orbed back into the kitchen, where she last left Matthew.

"Wyatt?" Emma called. No response came. "Wyatt!" she repeated louder.

"I'm busy looking for Matthew. Not now, Emma." Wyatt's voice boomed from the ceiling.

"Fine, keep looking. If you ignore me, you'll never find him." Emma yelled back impatiently.

Wyatt orbed in with a nasty look on his face, "I have priorities, Emma."

"Apparently, not your charges. Which makes you a lousy whitelighter." Emma said with a pause, and then handed Matthew back to Wyatt. She rolled her eyes, "You do remember that you have charges, right? I'm one of them."

"So are the twins and Michael, but I don't give them nearly as much attention as I give you." He answered back to her, and then looked at his son, "You can't do that buddy, you scared me." Emma stared at Matthew, before beginning to smile. Wyatt smiled back, then spoke up, "Don't you have class?"

"Oh shit" Emma said and orbed out.


	5. Cookies with Piper

**Author's Note:** If you have any questions about the characters and/or get confused, refer to the character sheet.

* * *

_Wednesday_

Piper sat next to Chris, "When did you get here, sweetheart?"

"A little while ago" Chris answered her, and then added, "I never imagined a world like this. It's unreal. It's perfect." He stared at the family portraits on the mantle.

"Nothing is perfect, Chris." Piper said carefully to him, "Just don't hold it so high that it upsets you." She then continued, "How does this world make you feel? It's probably different from your own world."

"I don't think…" he trailed off, searching for the right words, "I've ever been happier." He frowned for a moment, "It's an interesting feeling."

Piper gave him a toothy grin. "And what's so wrong with being happy, Chris? You deserve it."

"Nothing, it's just that I'm used to being the unhappy" Chris said honestly. He looked at her for a moment, pondering what to say next. He didn't want his family to worry about him. From what Chris had seen, they were extremely busy,

"Chris," Piper scolded him, "That's not very healthy."

"I know that, mom." He said quietly.

"You're going to like this time. Everyone in this family loves you. If you're unhappy, they'll be unhappy too." Piper touched his face, "This family is your creation, so you should enjoy it. It's a lot of fun, sometimes it's hectic, but they all love you."

"I can definitely see the hectic part," Chris said with a smirk, "It's the most predominant part of this future."

Piper frowned, "We never get rid of that smirk, do we?" She asked him.

Chris laughed for a minute, "You'll learn to love me."

"I already love you, Chris. I have for the last twenty-two years." Piper said quietly, "You know that."

Chris smiled as he pulled Piper into a hug, "I know, mom." Once Chris let go of her, he changed his tone, "Can you ask everyone to stick around tonight?" He asked Piper, "I have some news I want to share with the family."

Piper looked at him curiously, "What kind of news?"

"Good, definitely good" He assured Piper gently, "Wonderful news."

"Alright then," Piper said, regaining her smile, "Do you want to help me bake some cookies?"

"I don't have anything to do." Chris said with a laugh, "For the first time in…"

"Twenty-three years," Piper laughed as well, "How does it feel?"

"Kind of nice, actually." Chris admitted to Piper as she handed him eggs from the refrigerator. He set them on the counter and called out, "Flour" The flour appeared, then he called for other ingredients. Each ingredient appeared.

"Katie!" Matthew called with a giggle.

"I don't know where Katie is, sweetie." Piper said to her grandson.

Suddenly Katie appeared behind the stairs, she giggled. Matthew orbed to stairs, but Katie had disappeared by then. "Orb and Seek" Chris stated in surprise, "I played that with Wyatt when we were kids."

"Yeah and he always won." Wyatt said with a smirk as he orbed in.

Chris rolled his eyes, "Morning Wyatt."

"Good Morning. You seem cheerful little brother." Wyatt said pleasantly, "Good morning, Mom. How are you this morning?"

"I'm baking cookies." Piper said with a smile, "Does little Matthew have any requests?"

"Matthew loves chocolate chip." Wyatt said slyly.

"Matthew loves sugar cookies, Wyatt. You love chocolate chip." Chris said with a smirk. 'Woah, how did I know that?' Chris asked himself.

"Matthew, you're no fun!" Katie pouted, coming out of a cabinet.

"Hey honey," Piper said, looking at Katie, "you want to help Aunt Piper make cookies?" she asked.

"Yeah! Auntie Piper makes the best cookies!" Katie said enthusiastically. Chris smiled at Katie's innocence. "What kind do you want to make, guys?"

"Oatmeal Raisin" Chris and Katie said in unison. Chris blinked. Someone else besides himself and Piper enjoyed oatmeal raisin? Wyatt liked fudge cookies and Emma liked raw cookie dough.

_________

"How are you, sweetheart?" Wyatt asked his wife. He smiled softly at her.

"I'm doing well. Is something wrong?" Alana asked, snuggling closer to him. It made Wyatt feel uncomfortable; he couldn't get all those wandering thoughts out of his head.

"Why don't we go out for the day? Go to movie and grab some lunch?" He suggested, his bravery overcoming his fear.

"Sure," Alana said smiling, "That's so thoughtful... how unlike you" she teased with a small laugh.

Wyatt pouted, "I'm thoughtful" he feigned a hurt expression, before kissing his wife on the forehead. Wyatt couldn't imagine his life without Alana. She was gentle, intelligent, and optimistic. Her spirit comforted Wyatt and he was sure they would spend life together eternally.

"You're loveable, sweetie. Not thoughtful." She joked and kissed him back.

_____________

"Looks like the cookies are just about done," Piper said in an optimistic tone, "They look good, don't they Katie?"

"They do!" Katie agreed happily. After letting the cookies cooled down, Katie grabbed one and was about to take a bite when Matthew orbed the cookie to himself. "Matty!" Katie snapped, then grabbed her cookie back. Matthew began to cry.

"Here" she said in a huff and gave him his cookie back. He gurgled joyfully.

Katie looked away from Matt grumpily. Chris smiled at her bitter generosity. Katie reminded him of Phoebe in so many ways. She was the youngest for so long, until another family member came along and she had to grow up. She was also very spoiled, and yet so sweet. "You can have mine, kiddo" Chris offered her.

"Thank You" Katie said and took a bite. She grabbed Chris' leg. "I love you Chris." She said and left the room.

"That was sweet" Piper said smiling, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Mom" Chris whined, "I'm twenty-two" Chris was secretly happy that his mom wasn't afraid to give affection.

"Hey, you're never too old to be loved" Piper said. Chris nodded dumbly.


	6. Adventure

**Author's Note**: If you have any questions about the characters and/or get confused, refer to the character sheet. Thanks for reading my story :)

* * *

"Chris is up to something." Rachel said as she appeared in the attic with her twin brother.

"He is always up to something, Rach" Jacob said, "Remember fourth grade? When mom decided that we could all finally attend magic school? Chris was behind because he entered magic school in his first year of high school. So he twisted everyone's memory so they'd believe he on the same level as them."

"He doesn't remember daily rituals." Rachel explained, then twirled her dyed red locks, "We've woken him up everyday since we were five years old. People don't forget rituals like that."

"Try a spell then," Jacob suggested carefully, "But if you get caught by mom I'm turning you in."

Rachel gave him a dirty look, "I remember when you were fun."

Jacob laughed, "I can't remember when you were."

"Take our cousin, Let us see what he doesn't; Place his memories." Rachel said in a lame attempt.

"If that works," Jacob joked, "then they're going to let humans start casting spells. That was awful."

"Quiet" Rachel she said and hit his arm.

_Chris orbed in. _

"Hide!" Jake whispered to Rachel. Rachel grabbed Jacob's hand and they became invisible.

_Chris grabbed a piece of chalk then walked over to the book of shadows. He said a time spell and walked through a portal._

"I don't get it." Rachel said, confusion lacing every facet of her face, "Where did Chris just go?"

"We know that spell. Remember?" Jacob asked her as the invisibility wore off.

"That's right!" Rachel remembered suddenly, "I can't remember from where though..."

"Let's follow him?" Jacob asked, a smirk gracing his face.

"Your turn to create a spell, Jacob," Rachel said with a dirty look, "Since I obviously don't create satisfactory spells."

Jacob continued to smirk, "Sounds about right" then he added, "We desire a journey throughout the dimensions of time and space, in addition, the end requires us to be returned to our rightful place. Let the two of us observe what Chris Halliwell has so desperately tried to preserve."

Rachel gave him a look of astonishment, "That was well composed" she admitted as two were transported elsewhere.

________

"Jacob, where are we exactly?"

"On Whitton Avenue, I think." Jacob peered around, "Seems right." He affirmed.

Rachel gave him a look, "It's about two blocks away from home." He explained to her.

"Maybe Chris is at the manor," Rachel suggested.

"Right" Jacob said and grabbed her wrist, the two of them vanished and reappeared in front of the manor's front door.

"Jacob!" Rachel whined irritated, "You could have exposed us. You also hurt my wrist." She looked around for a moment, "Why didn't we fade into the manor?"

"That's how demon's appear" He said ringing the doorbell, "We don't know where we are yet."

A little boy answered the door, "Hi..."

"Hello sweetheart" Rachel said in a friendly tone.

The boy looked at her nervously, "Who are you?"

"We were wondering what today's date was." Rachel said evasively.

'You idiot!' Jacob shouted telepathically.

'Relax, Jacob!' Rachel responded, she held her head.

The boy looked at her curiously, "Who's at the door?" someone asked from inside.

"Some teenagers" the boy said quietly. Another boy came out; he looked a year or two older.

"What do you want?" The older boy asked them as he came outside.

"They want to know what date it is." The boy explained to his friend.

The older one looked at them, "You must be stupid," he said looking at them, "It's August 6th."

"Brat" Rachel shot under her breath impatiently.

Jacob hated himself for asking this question, "What year is it?"

"It's 2009" he said looking at them skeptically "Are you so old and stupid that you got amnesia?"

Rachel's anger rose mentally as she thought of all the remarks she wished to make.

'Stop it, Rachel. You're giving me a headache.'

'It serves you right.' Rachel snapped back at Jacob.

"We are not old. We're teenagers, brat." Rachel shot at the older boy.

"And that's your boyfriend?" The younger boy asked Rachel. His eyes gleamed with careful curiosity.

"Hardly" Rachel laughed at the small boy, "Jacob is my twin brother."

Jacob smiled at the small boy and asked curiously, "That's right. What's your name?"

"I'm Chris," he said. "This is my brother, Wyatt"

"You're Chris?" Rachel asked, then reasoned 'couldn't be anyone else.'

"Chris was a pretty cute kid," Jacob agreed, "Unlike Wyatt."

Chris looked nervously at the twins, "Thank You"

"They said 'was', that means you're not anymore." Wyatt said in a matter of fact tone.

Rachel glared at him and Wyatt shrunk back.

"And you're still a brat" Rachel said.

"Is there a guy, in his early twenties with brown hair and green eyes in your home?" Jacob asked Chris in a much friendlier tone.

"NO" Wyatt interrupted rudely.

"Does Phoebe Halliwell live here?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, but she's not home yet. She at her gyno coly gisty" Chris explained to them.

Jacob sniggered at the extra bit of information, 'You're stupid Jacob, she's checking on us.'

'Yeah, Yeah' Jacob agreed back telepathically.

"You can come in." Chris said to them.

"Chris, we don't know them!" Wyatt chastised his brother and then gave him a dirty look, "You need to be more careful." He said and grabbed Chris' shoulder.

"They know Aunt Phoebe." Chris reasoned back, "So they aren't strangers."

"Everyone knows Aunt Phoebe," Wyatt said in an all-knowing tone, "She's famous. Remember?"

"Wyatt's right. How do you know Aunt Phoebe?" Chris asked suspiciously.

"She's our mom" Rachel explained to them, "Cool it, Jacob" She said before Jacob could freak out on her telepathically.

Wyatt stared at them in disbelief, "You're lying" Wyatt said regaining his composure.

"Unfortunately, we aren't." Jacob muttered in disbelief of his sister's error.

"I like him better" Wyatt said, "The man is smarter than the girl." He said to Chris. Rachel's glares did nothing to him.

"The girl is nice and pretty. She looks like Aunt Phoebe too." Chris disagreed, "But you're nice too." he said to Jacob.

"Whatever" Wyatt said rolling his eyes.

"That's sweet," Rachel said appreciatively to Chris, "You're my new favorite cousin."

"Prove to me that you are Aunt Phoebe's kids," Wyatt said in a doubtful tone, "Just because you say it, doesn't make it true."

"The brat is smart, Jacob." Rachel said as she rose, "I can fly."

"That's not flying, that's levitating" Wyatt said unimpressed, "I knew the guy was smarter. You're exposing magic."

Rachel fell in surprise. Jacob gave her a look, "Wyatt's right. Stop Rachel."

Jacob sighed and conjured a fireball, "Don't hurt me, I believe you!" Wyatt said nervously.

Rachel rolled her eyes. The fireball vanished from Jacob's palm. "That's cool" Wyatt said to Jacob, "You even have a better power than the girl."'

Rachel was about to make a retort, when she heard… "I'm home!" Rachel and Jake turned around; Phoebe neared the outside stairs happily, 'Hide!' Rachel yelled telepathically, she grabbed Jacob's hand and went invisible.

"Hello boys, What are you doing outside?" Phoebe asked them curiously.

"Hi Aunt Phoebe" Wyatt and Chris chorused together.

"Guess what?" She asked happily.

"You're going to have twins?" Chris offered quietly.

"How did you know? Are you getting premonitions like your older brother?" Phoebe asked proudly.

"Uh..." he said and looked at the spot where Rachel and Jacob has just been. "Yeah, I am"

"Congratulations!" Phoebe said, giving Chris a hug. Then she went inside the house. "You can come out now" Wyatt

said smirking at the two hiding teens. Rachel and Jacob became visible once more.

"We better get going" Jacob said hazily, "We shouldn't be here."

"Already?" Chris asked in a sad tone.

"Yeah, we came back here because of your older self and if he catches us, I might not be your favorite cousin anymore" Rachel said.

"Am I mean in the future?" Chris asked softly.

"Nah, just over-protective" Rachel answered.

The twins disappeared as the spell had done it's job, though not in the way they had wanted.


	7. News

**Author's Note**: If you have any questions about the characters and/or get confused, refer to the character sheet. Thanks for reading my story :)

Merry Christmas.

* * *

"It's dinner time!" Piper yelled. Quickly, young mouths found their way into dining room. Once everybody was settled, Bianca and Chris told everyone their news.

"What's your news?" Emma asked curiously, "We all stayed home for this, so it better be worth it."

"We're having our first child." Bianca said happily.

"Congratulations Bianca!" Alana exclaimed in excitement and hugged her sister-in-law, "That's wonderful. You two will be wonderful parents."

Wyatt hugged Bianca as well, "Guess you won."

Bianca stuck out her tongue, "Guess I did, sucker."

Chris felt an out-of-body experience watching the scene with Wyatt and Bianca. Were Wyatt and Bianca friends? Did they only know each other because of him? Chris looked at the two's exchange and felt himself remember Bianca's demise.

Alana kissed Chris' forehead quickly, "My best friend is finally having a baby. Funny, because he hasn't grown up himself yet." she laughed, "You'll be wonderful."

Chris wished he knew what Alana meant by 'best friend'. Chris wished he remembered the things that had occurred in this world. He wished this with all his will, because he could see himself friends with Alana. He just couldn't see her comfortable enough to show anyone affection. Chris smiled at Alana, "Thanks Lana" he said gratefully. Chris didn't know why, but he believed Alana when she called him her best friend. He felt that pull instinctively.

"I'm going to be a grandfather." Leo said with a smile on his face, "I couldn't be happier for you two."

"Dad, you're already a grandfather." Wyatt said with a roll of his eyes. He turned to Chris, "That's great little bro, I can't wait for my little niece or nephew."

"Wyatt's right for once, dad" Emma teased and then gave Chris a glance, "I can't wait to meet your baby. They're going to be beautiful."

"Does this mean Matthew and I are going to have a playmate?" Katie asked coyly.

"Indeed, it does, sweetie." Phoebe said to her daughter, "How exciting for you two." She said to Chris and Bianca.

"Thanks Aunt Phoebe." Chris said with a smile, then looked at his mother, "Mom?"

"I'm thrilled for you Chris. You are going to be a wonderful father." She kissed his forehead, "Try not to be too overprotective." then she whispered in his ear, "You deserve this blessing more than anyone I know.'

"Good luck with that one," Paige said with a chuckle, "Chris is overprotective of all his cousins. His child is going to be locked in a steel fortress."

The remaining children waited to give the congratulations. Rachel gave Chris a hug and Jacob a high-five. He gave them a look. Penny and Michael promised to watch the baby whenever needed. Carter said congratulations and asked if they believed their child to be a boy or a girl. Nicole answered this question by telling Bianca that she thought the baby would be a girl because Matthew had been a boy. Emma watched curiously as her family chattered on about her future nephew or niece.

"Hey bud," Chris said sitting next to his ten year old cousin, Carter.

"Congratulations on your baby." Carter said quietly.

"Thanks." Chris replied with a smile.

"Why are you talking to me, Chris?" Carter asked curiously, though there was a tone of impatience.

"Why wouldn't I?" Chris asked taken aback by the hostility from Carter, "I'm your cousin."

"I have no powers to protect the baby. I have no powers to protect anyone, not even Nicole. All I can do is orb." He stared at the ground, "I don't fit into this family."

"Sure you do" Chris assured him, "You don't have to feel bad for not having a ton of power; None of us really do."

"That's not true and you know it," Carter said angrily, "Wyatt's the perfect one with more powers than anyone can count. You're the favorite. Rachel and Jacob have fireballs, levitation and fading, Michael is the empath, Penny's can see history in real-time. Emma is can blow up and freeze others. Even my little sister can use telekinesis. Katie can see the future and she's three. I can orb and that's all" Carter said in one breath.

"I'm not the favorite, I just know them well" Chris explained briefly, but went no further in detail.

Carter gave him a confused look.

"What sucks more is that I have no powers. All I can do is orb and that's not a wiccan power." Carter said a depressive tone, "It's not fair."

"Is that what you think?" Chris asked in an amused tone. He orbed in a glass of water, "Here" he said and then dropped the glass on Carter.

"Chris!" Carter yelled and covered his face with his hand.

"What?" Chris asked with a small chuckle, "Proved my theory correct, didn't I?"

"The theory that you're crazy?" Carter asked and looked up to see the water had frozen, in more than one way. The water had been frozen in place and had frozen solid. "I didn't know you had that power." Carter said in a bewildered tone.

"I don't have that power," Chris explained to his cousin, "That was your doing."

"Right, well I don't want to get wet." Carter said before moving to another couch. As soon as he sat onto the other couch, the water unfroze and splashed onto couch, which in turn sprayed Chris. Carter laughed at Chris' expression of bewilderment.

"That wasn't funny. You did that on purpose." Chris chastised him.

"You threw the water at me first," Carter argued, before again laughing at Chris's wet clothing, "I'm sorry" he apologized then looked at Chris, "Is that really my power?"

"One of them, I'm willing to be there are more." Chris said in a thoughtful tone.

"You solve people's problems by throwing water on them." Carter said suddenly, "If that isn't the making of a father..."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Chris said dryly

_______

"I can't believe Chris is going to have a baby." Penny said to Michael, "It's too bizarre to imagine the cousin that used to tell us to go away as kids is now going to have a kid of his own."

"Chris isn't having the baby, Bianca is." Michael joked lightly, "It's kind of weird to believe that it was only seven years ago that he didn't like children."

"You know what I meant, Mike." Penny said with a roll of eyes.

Michael was grateful that Penelope was his closest family member. He couldn't handle Emma's confrontational manner of dealing with others.

* * *

Meanwhile at Phoebe's House...

'Chris is really going to have a baby, Jake, How strange.' Rachel communicated to her brother telepathically. The twins had their own rooms with a door connected to both.

'Why is that strange? There's already a third generation in the family; Matthew, remember?' Jacob responded to her.

'Yeah, but this baby, is coming from a sweetheart.' Rachel exclaimed in her head loudly. Jacob covered his ears for a moment and sighed.

'Why is Chris a sweetheart?' Jacob asked, 'I missed the answer, when it occurred.'

'Did you see him? He was such a gentle child.' Rachel explained to him, 'Do you think it'll be a boy or girl?'

'Girl' Jake answered automatically.

'How do you know?' She asked curiously.

'Did the math; There are 5 girls and 5 boys and one next generation kid. Matthew is a boy so to even it out, it's going to be a girl' Jake explained.

'You're not very creative, Jacob.' Rachel answered in bemusement, 'It's a split chance either way.'

'Fine,' Jacob answered her back, 'There are more women in the world than men. So statistically, it's more likely to be a girl.'

_______________

"I'm going to have another nephew or niece!" Emma exclaimed to her six year old cousin Nicole, She turned to her nephew, "Matthew is going to have a baby cousin."

"Emma, you're supposed to be helping me with my homework," Nicole pleaded, "Mom is going to be upset if I don't finish it in time."

"Fine, Fine. Let's get started then."

* * *

"Another baby!" Phoebe said in a giddy tone, "How exciting."

"I'm just happy for them" Piper said, "Chris deserves to be a father and have this family. He's earned it."

"I think he likes this time," Paige said, "Rachel and Jacob cast a spell on Chris earlier because they believed him to have amnesia."

"Did it help?" Phoebe asked in a concerned tone.

"Depends on who wrote it," Piper said in a sarcastic tone, "Rachel is awful at creating spells."

"I don't think it worked. I think the only way Chris will get his memory back is if the two versions assimilate."

"Speaking of memory spells; which one did my trouble maker cast?" Coop asked curiously.

"I'm not sure. I think Rachel improvised from memory." Paige said, "But since it didn't work, I guess it's not a bad thing.

"No harm done," Leo agreed and then added, "Chris must be ecstatic to almost be a father. I was." He said and gave Piper a kiss on the cheek.

* * *

"Find the baby and you win" Katie explained to Matthew.

"Ok" Matthew said in a confused tone. Matthew didn't know the baby was already here.

Katie faded into Emma's room, "Wrong room" she explained to a confused Emma.

Matthew ended up in Michael's empty room and orbed out.

Meanwhile Bianca and Chris were kissing each other, when Katie orbs in and fall on them. "I win" she said and Matthew orbed in seconds after her.

"No fair" he said.

Bianca and Chris looked up. "I guess it's going to be like this when we have our baby" Bianca said slightly amused.

"What are you two doing?" Chris asked in an impatient tone.

"Playing 'find the baby'" Katie says and giggles. "I won" she said proudly and pointed at Bianca.

"The baby is not here yet, Katie" Bianca says smiling, "We've got seven months until then."

"Shoo," agreed Chris, "Go home, before your mom calls me looking for you two."

"Fine" Katie whined. She faded out, followed by Matthew's orbing out.


	8. Fight

**Author's Note**: If you have any questions about the characters and/or get confused, refer to the character sheet. Thanks for reading my story :)

Happy Holidays!

* * *

"Morning lovebirds," came the taunting tone of seventeen year old Chad. Chad had the power to crush things by merely closing his hand into a fist.

"Leave us alone, Chad" Penny said with a groan, "If you were a stronger witch, you wouldn't have to torture others."

"So how is the marriage going?" He asked Penny, "Are the Charmed Ones so exclusive that they intermarry?" Chad expected retaliation for this remark from more than one source.

"Brute force and no brains," Emma said orbing into the scene, "That would best describe you, Chad."

"Emily is here to rescue her little cousins, it's so like her to butt into other's business." Chad sneered and turned away from her.

"Just leave, Chad," Emma said in impatient tone, "Magic school is for good witches."

"Is that an order?" He taunted her.

"Want it to be?" She threatened him back. She channeled her power to blow things up into a fireball.

"Emma!" warned Penny and Michael. If their parents found out they used magic for revenge instead of protection, they'd be in trouble.

"I can handle fireballs." Chad said with malice, a dagger appearing in his hands, "Can you handle an athame?"

Emma looked nervous for a moment, before regaining her composure. She rolled her eyes and then froze him. "That shouldn't have worked," she said to the frozen figure of Chad, "You're supposed to be a good witch." she shot at him and then kicked his shin. Unable to move, he remained stationary. Emma decided to close her argument with a little fire power.

She threw a fireball at his chest. Immediately he began to bleed.

Michael and Penny shook their heads. "Emma, stop!" Michael finally mustered.

Emma sighed, "Fine" She threw a potion at Chad's wound. He immediately healed. "Want to try me again?" she asked annoyed as she unfroze him.

"How did you freeze me?" Chad muttered in a dark tone.

"You've been such an awful person that you no longer are a good witch. Maybe you should leave magic school or maybe you should reform your attitude." Emma orbed away and Chad stood in shock, then stumbled off angrily.

"This is why you're my best friend and not Emma, now I've got a headache." Michael mumbled to Penny as he held his head, "Chad's so concerned about the fact that she can freeze him that it's making me uncomfortable."

"If our mothers' find out what Emma has done, they're not going to be happy." Agreed Penny.

"Penny! Michael!" They turn around to see their best friends, Nick and Zoë. Nick could transfigure into anything and Zoë could change nature, which she often did when she was bored.

"Morning guys," Penny said, her tone changing, "What's going on?"

"Chad's been strange. We just saw him avoiding everyone" Nick said rolling his eyes, "Tempted me to go punch the guy in the gut, after all the crap he says bout people"

"He was pretty weird," Zoe agreed, "Something shook him up."

AN: I cut a scene here with Michael and Zoe because I frankly have no clue what direction I originally planned to take them. So it's cut until I finish editing what I already have.

* * *

"I need money to add music to my E-Drop. Anyone have anything I can do around here?" Emma asked her brothers. Chris, Wyatt and Emma had choose to "bond" since both knew about Chris' alternate future now. Emma caressed Matthew's hair and gave him a kiss on the forehead, "You're perfect, Matty." she said to him.

"I'll pay you a dollar an hour to baby sit Matt tomorrow" Wyatt teased.

Emma gave Wyatt a dirty look, "Fine. I'll give you fifteen dollars an hour to babysit Matthew." (This seems a bit much, but they live in the future. I'm going to equate 15 dollars then to about eight dollars now)

"Sounds good," Emma said with a grin, "I'd have done it for free."

Matthew orbed into his father's arms and stifled a yawn, "Tired, buddy?" Wyatt asked his son. Matthew closed his eyes.

Chris smiled at his brother, "Is it hard to be a father?" he asked Wyatt.

"No," Wyatt laughed and then elaborated, "It's one of the easiest things I've ever done."

Emma gave him a mocking look, "That's because Alana does all the work. She's a god-sent for you, Wyatt. She may be the only person in the world who can tolerate you and that's because she was your whitelighter. I wish she was my whitelighter." Emma added the last bit a moment later.

Chris arched a brow, "Don't hold all that hostility back, Emma" he teased her.

"She couldn't if she tried," Wyatt chimed in, "she's full of hatred for me. which makes no sense, because I am a saint."

"Not likely." Emma shot back.

Paige orbed into the room, "Anyone here good with numbers?" she asked them.

"I'm good with statistics," Chris offered, "but not much else."

"You're a little to high on the curve for this one," Paige said gratefully, "But I'm looking for someone to tutor Nicole."

"Emma's a good tutor." Wyatt said suddenly, "She helps a few students in the remedial courses."

"I can help Aunt Paige." Emma affirmed.

"That's wonderful, sweetheart. I'll get you a card for your E-Drop if you can help Nicole understand her assignments."

"Thanks Aunt Paige." Emma said gratefully.

Paige orbed out happily to tell her daughter the news.

"Hey, I'm going to put Matthew to bed. Good night guys." Wyatt said with a smile. Wyatt ruffled Emma's hair and gave Chris a comforting pat on the pack, "You're going to do well as a father. You have the instincts in a much more natural way than I ever did."


	9. Surprise

**Author's Note**: If you have any questions about the characters and/or get confused, refer to the character sheet. Thanks for reading my story :)

Happy Holidays.

* * *

"We're going," Wyatt said to Emma and gave her a smile, "Thanks for watching Matthew. He loves you more than anyone else."

"Sure," Emma said and grabbed Matthew from her brother, "He's my pal."

"Hey Emma?" Wyatt asked her curiously.

"Yeah?" she asked him back.

"Don't stress the little things," Wyatt said and patted her back, "And here's the money I promised you." he handed her sixty dollars.

"Thanks, Wyatt" and gave him a hug, "I'm sorry I've been yelling at you lately."

"Good night" Wyatt said to his son and gave him a kiss on the forehead. He and Alana closed the door behind themselves.

"Hey buddy," Emma said sweetly to her nephew, "We're going to have some fun, alright?"

"Em, muh muh muh" He said giggling at her. Matthew grabbed her finger.

"Good grip" she complimented, "You're going to be a strong young man. You're going to use all that power for good."

"Cookie. Cookie, Cookie!" He said bouncing around, he couldn't stop giggling.

"That's right. There's still plenty left." she said and orbed Matt and herself into the kitchen. "Chocolate chip, Peanut butter or Sugar?" Matt grabbed a sugar cookie covered in blue frosting.

"I wonder what's sweeter," teased Emma, "the cookie or the nephew?"

"I'd say the cookies are sweeter" A voice said behind her, Emma turned around. A man only a few years younger than Chris stood there.

"Who the hell are you? You better stay away from my nephew" Emma threatened defensively. She clutched tightly to Matthew.

"Or what?" The man asked. A smirked graced the features of his face. He had a lean build with trimmed blonde hair.

Emma channeled her ability to blow things up into a fireball and held the palm of her hand out towards the young man, "I think you know what."

"Chill, Aunt Emma" The man laughed dryly, "I wouldn't hurt you."

"Aunt Emma?" She asked in an untrusting tone, she didn't retract her fireball.

"Yeah, Aunt Emma" he mimicked and made it a point to emphasize the title 'aunt'.

"I don't believe you," She said glaring at him, while clutching Matthew in one arm and the fireball in the other.

He studied Matt for a minute, "Look, MY shield isn't up yet."

"Maybe you found someway around that," Emma said suspiciously, "It wouldn't be the first time. Demons who came after my brother have found ways around his shield. Wyatt himself can do it Matthew."

"My dad can do a lot of things; A lot of which I can not do." The man claimed, "You want to know why? Because I am not the twice-blessed child. I'm just the grandson."

"Prove it; prove that you're Matt" she said, still uneasy, "I'm pretty sure my nephew hasn't hit twenty-one yet."

"Okay" he said grinning and created a light green shield.

"A lot of magical creatures can create shields."

"Damn, you're stubborn. Do you want my driver's license?"

"Show me your powers." Emma said finally, "Then I'll believe you."

"I can't do that. Future consequences apply. My powers haven't come in yet, so I can't show them to you." His attitude changed and he became less offensive.

"Are you sure you aren't Chris' son?" Emma muttered, then continued, "Convince me."

Matthew sighed, I guess it's time to take a different approach... You used to call me the sky and the stars. You said I that I brought brilliance to your life." Matthew said and then went on, "When my mother became pregnant again, I was so envious of the baby. You never let me down though, promising me that I was your buddy and no one would change that. No one did. You are my favorite aunt, always have been." Emma's fireball slowly retracted and she leaned in closer to see the color of his eyes. They were identical to the color of toddler Matthew.

"Favorite aunt? Do you have another one?"

"No" he said with a chuckle. "You really paid attention to me, when others didn't. They were too busy with Alexis and Nathan."

"Who are they?" Emma asked curiously.

"Alexis is my baby sister. Nathaniel is our baby brother." Matthew explained. Emma had no clue why she had been so nervous earlier. Matthew had light blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. They were rather calming.

"How old are you?" She asked, finally out of her daze.

"Twenty. I'm older than you Aunt Emma, maybe I should watch you instead." Matthew teased her.

"You're pretty open with the future, is that smart?"

"Well, the way I figure it what's going to happen is going to happen." Matthew said to her.

Emma wanted to asked about 'Future Consequences', but quelled the thought in favor of this remark: "What am I like in the future?" Emma wanted as much information as she could get from 'Matthew'.

"You're married. With small children. They drive me crazy to be honest."

"I'm so sorry about that," Emma said dryly, "Nothing I can do yet."

"Nothing you can do for ten years" Matthew said with a smirk, "Your children are fine."

"Well that's nice to know." Emma said with feigned gratitude.

Matthew smiled gently, "You don't change in the future. Everyone else changes, but not you."

"Well like mom says, attitude is everything," Emma answered.

"Uh huh, can I have one of those?" he asked childishly.

"Sure..." she said to him and looked at him, "So you do become a pinnacle of good, then?"

"I try to do as much as I can," Matthew admitted and then added, "You might not want to stand there right now." He said taking a bite of his cookie.

"Why?" she asked before baby Matt smashed a cookie into her hair. Older Matthew burst out laughing along with baby Matthew. "Aw! Matthew. Look what you did!" she chastised her toddler nephew.

"Sorry" he muttered sheepishly and waved his hand, the cookie disappeared from her hair.

'I wonder if he will tell me about Bianca's baby' Emma thought to herself.

"Bianca's going to have a girl, her name is Brianna." Matthew answered, biting into another cookie.

"Did you read my mind?" Emma asked him curiously, "I don't think I like that. You inherited that from your father."

"That is one of my more useful powers." Matthew admitted with a grin, "I used it enough times when taking exams back when I attended magic school."

"How did you get here?" Emma asked him, suddenly suspicious.

"Time travel spell" he said with a grin, "Our family has a serious problem with time travel."

Emma nodded, "Truer words haven't been spoken," then she changed the subject, "Who am I married too?" she asked hopefully.

""I can't tell you that," Matthew said with a chuckle, "Not that it would matter. You two aren't friends yet."

_Demon shimmers in._

Emma looked nervously at the demon for a moment, "Why do demons have such awful timing?"

"I've got it" Future Matt said protectively.

"Let me protect you" Emma said blowing up every demon until there were only two left. The last two shimmered away. "I think they're gone." she said with a sigh.

The last two shimmered back into the house and grabbed Emma and baby Matthew by their necks, athame to their throats.

"Let go of her." Older Matthew threatened, his anger level rising.

"Or what, Witch?" The demon taunted, "If you even try to throw that, she will die"

"Pick witch," The other demon taunted to Emma, "You or the baby"

"Kill me," Emma spat bitterly, "But you'll never hurt my nephew."

"Whatever you say" he said with an evil smirk and stabbed her in the chest. The other demon dropped toddler Matthew.

Adult Matthew used his telekinetic power to choke the demons to death, "If she dies your underworld will be gone." He threatened.

Emma began to cough severely, she wanted so much to be able to breathe.

"You okay?" Emma asked softly, the wound weakening to her, "Calm down."

"You're..." Matthew returned to normal.

"Dying?" she asked softly. He nodded, "I'm not afraid of death if it protects a loved one."

"You can't die, this isn't your destiny." Older Matthew said a tear rolling down his face, "Why did I do this?" he asked himself aloud.

"You know what Wyatt told me?" Emma asked softly, "Healing comes from the heart. Triggered by love. When you develop that power, you'll do great things."

"I have to call dad," Matthew said and pulled at his hair, "What was I thinking?"

"Can't risk the future." Emma said and closed her eyes.

"This is going to hurt, but I have to try" he said to his unconscious aunt. He pulled out the athame out of Emma and put his hands over her chest. She slowly started to heal. She was still unconscious, so he carried her to the couch and put a blanket over her.

"She's okay" he said to baby Matt, who was whimpering at his aunt.

* * *

"Hey you" Emma said to the baby who was watching her, "I had the strangest dream, I saw you. You were from the future. Isn't Auntie Emma crazy?" she asked softly.

"Aunt Emma, You're okay!" Older Matthew said as he orbed into the room, he took her into his arms, "I'm so sorry."

"So this was real..." Emma asked him and touched where the stab wound had been, "What happened."

"You gave me some valuable advice." Matthew said to her, "Thank You."

"Congratulations" Emma said to him, "I'm glad you triggered your healing power, I just have had better days."

"Yeah, so have I and this wasn't supposed to happen" He said suspiciously.

"Timelines change." Emma shrugged it off, "What about you future boy, you married, got children? What?" She asked with a smirk.

"I'm 20" he said flatly, "I want to grow up before I have kids."

"Alana was 20 when she was pregnant with you" Emma pointed out to him, "Wyatt sure as hell didn't wait to grow up to get married."

"I like to take it slower. I like to plan things out." Matthew said softly to himself, "I love my parents more than anything, but they were too young to discipline me. I got in plenty of trouble as a kid."

"You are Wyatt's son," Emma teased him and added, "I'm glad you're okay, Matthew."

"Thanks Aunt Emma," Matthew said to her, "Can I tell you something?" Emma consented, "I came here to see you because I've been a bit lonely lately. I've missed my family so much."

"How long can you stay?" Emma asked him with great curiosity.

"How long can I stay?" Matthew asked her back.


	10. Salutations

**Author's Note**: If you have any questions about the characters and/or get confused, refer to the character sheet. Thanks for reading my story :)

Happy Holidays.

* * *

"You can sleep in Chris' room. He moved out last year." Emma said as an after thought, "Right now it's a playing room for Katie, Nicole and yourself."

"Good ol' Nikki. She's different in the future, she's more motherly" Matthew explained.

"She's always a nurturer. Is she a mother?" Emma asked in realization.

"Yeah, she's married to this really funny guy, he's good for her" Matt said grinning. "Katie is a lot of fun. One of the best friends I've ever had. She is a bit of a flirt though."

"Is she promiscuous?" Emma asked uneasily, there was a concern that Katie would grow up with the wrong mind set.

"Katie isn't like that. She'd rather win people over with her personality than her looks." Matthew explained then he went on the tell Emma about all the career paths her cousins had taken.

"What about me?" Emma asked once again.

"Cant tell you, but you're known" he said.

"Hi Ya" Emma turned around with a fireball in her palm once more. A group of teenagers very close in age to Emma stood behind her.

"What the hell is with today?" Emma asked impatiently, "If you're a demon, go home. I'll even spare you."

A girl with blonde hair simply rolled her eyes and the fireball in Emma's hand disintegrated.

"That is so not cool" Emma mumbled, "Look, I don't know who you are. You don't seem evil. You don't even seem powerful."

The blonde girl looked offended.

The blonde girl blinked her eyes and everything in the room began to swirl, "Very nice" Emma said appreciatively.

"I'm April" Matt gave the girl a look, he nodded. "This is Bella, Jason and Noah"

Emma nodded, "I'm Emma"

"So, Matty… are you coming back to the future?" the brunette girl, Bella asked him.

"No, I'm not." Matthew hesitated, "At least not yet, Bella."

"You know them?" Emma asked suddenly, "Why didn't you just say that."

"Of course I know them. They are my friends" Matthew said as if it was obvious.

"Well, I thought they were here to kill you" Emma said defensively.

"Well, if I remember correctly you were the one who was going to blow me up" April said sarcastically.

"Chill Apple" Jason said, giving her a warning glance.

"Quiet JC" April retorted.

"You guys fight a lot for friends" Emma said, "More like siblings or something" she said to herself quietly.

"So, anyways" Noah said smirking at April.

"Are you coming back to our supery- dupery future?" Noah asked Matthew grinning.

"We'll help you, Matthew, but we need you home." April said to him.

"No, I'll just chill here for a while" Matthew said quietly.

"Matty, we can't let you stay here." Bella said as April, Noah and Jason grabbed him.

"Hey!" he said trying to orb, but stopped after seeing he couldn't.

"Sorry, Matthew; we have to go. Bye Emma, stay sharp" Bella with a wave.

"Aunt Emma! Help me!" he said with disbelief.

"I think you should go back, just in case your daddy sees you" Emma said. "Bye guys, it was cool to meet you"

The four of them gave an identical grin, "We'll see you some day soon." Noah said with a wave.


	11. Their Decision

**Author's Note**: If you have any questions about the characters and/or get confused, refer to the character sheet. Thanks for reading my story :)

Happy Holidays. Here's a little history on Alana :]

* * *

"I am back!" Rachel said as she faded in, a million shopping bags in tow.

"I see that" Emma said with a grin, "But why are you back in my house?"

"I wanted to show them to you, Emma" Rachel said with a smile, "They are beautiful."

"Rachel, you know that I have no particular desire to associate with fashion." Emma said to her.

"Come on, Emma," Rachel said with a laugh, "You are beautiful."

Emma arched her brows, Rachel added, "In a tomboy sense at least." Rachel pouted, "I'm going."

"Never grow up to be like, Rachel" Emma muttered to Matt, Emma didn't know why she said it he grew up to be nothing like her, well not nothing, but still.

Wyatt orbed in, making out with Alana, Emma smiled just a little. "And never grow up to be like daddy." She kissed her nephew on the head, "Come on Matthew, we'll go to my room. Looks like mommy and daddy are busy" Emma said and orbed out.

________

Chad shimmered in exhausted, "I would not be doing this if I didn't love her, you know?" he asked Jacob. Kaylee, Jacob's closest friend lets go of his hand.

"It was nice of you guys to come with us." Kaylee said, before running up after Rachel.

"Hey Chad, let me get my new shoes" Rachel says to him and grabs a box in the middle of his pile, which makes him drop a few of the boxes. "Thanks" she says and runs upstairs.

"Some girls are incredibly crazy." Chad muttered to himself.

"Some are pretty hot though." Jacob added.

"Some are." Chad said and shimmered out.

A/N: Wow. So Chad is dating Rachel. And Chad tortures Michael and Penny, who are Rachel's family. This sort of reminds me of seventeen again and not in a good way. Interesting.

_______________

"Are we sure about this, Alana?" Wyatt asked his wife gingerly.

"I'm sure, Wyatt. I've cared for you all my life." she looked away for a moment, "You're a great father to Matthew and great husband to me."

Wyatt looked into his wife's eyes, "I love you Alana."

"I love you too, sweetheart." Alana laid her head against his chest.

Flashback.

_Bianca and Alana walk up to the porch of the Halliwell Manor, Where a 6- year-old Chris and an 8 year old Wyatt were hanging out. Bianca is eight and Alana is six. _

"_Hi Guys" Alana said with a smile. She hugged Chris and then Wyatt._

"_Hi" Chris said smiling and returned the hug, "What are you doing?"_

_We brought you guys some cake" Alana said smiling._

"_Yum!" Wyatt said excitedly, "What kind?"_

_"Chocolate" Bianca said, "It's my favorite."_

_"We should take it inside." Wyatt said as he stared at the cake._

"_Okay" Chris said innocently and led the way._

_Alana grabbed Wyatt's hand and walked merrily inside the Manor. _

"_Hi Alana, Hey Bianca" Piper said smiling at them._

"_Hi, Mrs. Halliwell" Alana said sweetly. "We brought you some cake"_

"_That's sweet" Piper said._

"_Well we have to go, but stop by anytime" Bianca said and they left._

"_You might want to wash your hands" Chris said grinning at Wyatt._

"_Why?" Wyatt asked him confused._

"_Because a girl just touched you," Chris said grinning. Wyatt feigned a punch._

"_Yeah, you too" Wyatt said._

"You've protected me since we were kids, Alana" Wyatt said to her, "I'd do anything to protect you and our family."

Alana is in 8th grade and Wyatt in 10th.  
January 2019.

_Alana sighed, she couldn't believe she was going to do this. ''This is Wyatt Halliwell. Not only is he the twice-blessed, he's also the owner of Excalibur. If he doesn't like what I have to say, he's going to kill me.' Alana felt guilty for admitting that, 'Wyatt is different here. He's the paragon of all good. He is going to continue to protect the innocents. In this world he might not even acknowledge me.'_

_"Alana?" A voice asked._

_'That was a lousy wish' Alana thought to herself.  
_

"_Hi Wyatt!" she said enthusiastically to him. It was a sunny afternoon after school._

"_What are you doing here?" He asked her for a minute, "You're still in junior high."_

"I was checking out the school for next year." She explained to him.

"But it's only January," Wyatt said and tried to understand her emotions, "Alana, you're a nice neighbor but you're too young for me. Sorry."

Alana flushed, "I didn't come here for you." She said to him.

Wyatt gave her a look, "Fine, Maybe I did."  


_'God I hate his power. It makes anything I have to offer completely useless.' Alana thought to herself, 'It's also personal gain. They could strip his powers for that.'_

"_It's a nice gesture, kiddo, but I'm not interested." Wyatt said to her, his ego showing a bit._

"I'm not to here to ask you out," Alana said hesitantly, "I'm here to guide you."

"What does that mean?" He said with a laugh, "Hey guys!" Wyatt called to his friends with a harsher laugh, "Alana Thompson wants to be my guide."

"I…" Alana said weakly, before running off.

_'What a jerk!' Alana thought to herself, 'I'm here to help him, not to date him. Who would want to date that jerk?'_

_Alana avoided the Halliwell household for about a month before Chris started to ask questions. "Hey Lana, where have you been lately?" he asked her in class one day._

"Just a little busy," she said and added nothing more but, "Some stuff has been happening in my life."

"Like what?" Chris asked his closest friend. She felt so bad because his concern was so genuine. 

'_What do I say? 'Hey Chris, I'm your whitelighter. I've known about your magic my entire life, but I've forced you to hide it because I didn't tell you?''  
_

_"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it." Chris said to her suddenly. _

_'Chris is an empath. Wyatt is telepathic. How the heck can I help them without ruining it all?'_

_  
"I want to tell you, but I need time." Alana said finally._

"Okay," Chris said unsettled, "Hope you're okay"

"_I am." Alana said to him with a cheerful smile._

_____

"_Hi Wyatt." Alana said, a few days later outside of his home._

"Alana." He said and continued to throw a basketball into a hoop.

"I wanted to talk about last month." She said slowly.

"Really?" Wyatt asked her in heavy tone, "You never seemed like the type to go looking for the wrong people."

"_I'm your guide, Wyatt" Alana said and exhaled heavily, "I'm your whitelighter. You can't ignore that."_

_Wyatt turned to her with a serious look, "What is a 'whitelighter'?" Wyatt lied._

"You know what a whitelighter is Wyatt. You're part whitelighter yourself." Alana said. It took every ounce of her courage to continue saying what she did. 

"_I don't know how you found out about magic, Alana, but I recommend you keep what you've seen to yourself." Wyatt said darkly and orbed away._

_'I hope he's not evil again,' Alana thought fearfully, 'Please don't let that happen.'_

_This time Alana recovered at a quicker rate. It took her only a few days before she was ready to give it a go once more._

"_Hi Wyatt" Alana said pleasantly, in between classes._

"_What are you doing here, Alana?" Wyatt said through gritted teeth, "You go to the junior high more than a mile away." _

"_I came to check in on my charge." She explained to him._

"_Alana, you're not a whitelighter. I'm not your charge. Whatever game this is, it needs to stop right now."_

"_How do you think I know about magic?" Alana asked him, "Huh?"_

"_I don't know. You've been stalking Chris since you were four years old, maybe he accidentally shared his secret with you."_

"I haven't been stalking him," Alana said in a hurt tone, "I'm his friend."

_"Are you sure?" He taunted her._

_"You're the telepath," Alana said softly, "You'd know more than anyone."  
_

_Wyatt knew if he ruined Chris' friendship with Alana, Chris would kill him. "Fine," he caved in, "Maybe you went into the attic and went through the book."_

"_Wouldn't that prove I'm good, If I could touch the book?" Alana asked him._

"No, Alana. It would make you an obsessive stalker." Wyatt said, then turned to her, "Stay away. I'm serious. You don't know what you're messing with."

_Alana had no idea what approach to take next. She wanted to tell Chris before it got too late, but he would hate her forever._

_Alana and Chris sat in his room. "How come you and Wyatt have been so weird lately?"_

"What do you mean?" Alana asked him. There was so much on her mind and she couldn't handle it anymore.

"Well, when you used to come over he'd say 'Hi' or something. Now he won't even look at you." Chris said to her, "It's weird."

"He's probably too cool to be seen with an eighth-grader." Alana offered.

"I guess." Chris trailed off, "Look, I wanted to talk-"

_Just moments later, Chris and Alana heard a thud from above. "You better go home Alana." Chris warned._

"_Chris hurry up!" came the voice from above._

"I'm coming!" Chris responded, he gave an urging look at Alana, "Go home, Alana!"

Alana left the room and Chris orbed into the attic. 

_As soon as he got there, Alana heard "Watch out, Chris!" _

_Alana instinctively orbed into the attic and shielded Chris from any danger, "Alana? How did you do that?" He asked her in a daze. _

"_Alana! Chris! Move!" Wyatt yelled at the two. Then Wyatt realized something, if the darklighter shot Alana she would die. If she really was their whitelighter, then she didn't have a human half like Chris and himself. So he put himself in front of them, he instinctively blew up the darklighter, but not before being shot by the darklighter's arrow. _

"_Wyatt!" Alana and Chris shouted in alarm. Alana ran over to Wyatt, who had fallen down. She breathed in heavily and put her hands over his wound. At first, nothing happened, but slowly the wound disappeared. _

"_Are you okay, Wyatt?" Chris asked instinctively. Wyatt nodded with a few heavy breaths. Chris turned to Alana, "You're a whitelighter?"_

_She nodded dejectedly to herself, "Yes."_

"_For how long?" Chris snapped._

"_I was created to be your guys' whitelighter. I've been around as long as you have." She answered softly. _

"_You never told me!" Chris shot at her nastily, "I've been your friend for eight years and you never told me. You made me hide my magic." Chris added bitterly, "Go home Alana."_

_Alana nodded tiredly. _

_Wyatt thought about Alana's choice to risk her life for theirs. Did she do this because she had to or because she wanted to? How could anyone do that for someone after the way Wyatt had treated her._

Wyatt began to feel horrible for the things he had said to her. He saw Alana once in awhile, mostly with Bianca. Other times she was with her friends. Chris had refused to speak to her after what happened. That summer he even convinced their mother to allow them to attend magic school. 

_August 2019_

_On their first day Chris was surprised to find that Alana was in his class. "What are you doing here?" Chris hissed at her. _

"_I have to go where you go." She said in apologetic tone. _

"_You're not a witch, you're a whitelighter. This is magic school. Go home." He said. _

"_I can't" Alana said to him, mustering the courage to speak up, "I want to be a good whitelighter to you guys. So I'm going to learn as much as I can so I can be useful."_

"You can't be our whitelighter." Chris said to her, "I don't want you to be." He said with a nasty glare. 

'_I won't let you get hurt.' Chris thought to himself, 'If being away from you keeps you alive. I'll do it.'_

Alana followed Chris out of class, "I'm going to be, Chris. I was designed to be your whitelighter."

_"So our friendship wasn't real?" He stopped and turned to her, "All along it's been about you being my whitelighter?"_

_"No, of course not." Alana said to him sadly, "You mean everything to me. You're my best friend."_

_Wyatt caught up to Chris, "Back me up Wy, tell her she can't be our whitelighter."_

_"Alana?" Wyatt asked her, "What are you doing here?"_

_"She's stalking me," Chris said coldly, "Guess you were right." He wanted to say more, but stopped. He could feel her pain and it was too much for him. Maybe because he hadn't been trained like everyone else with his powers, or maybe because her pain was important to him, but he couldn't continue. _

_Wyatt intervened, "We don't want you to our whitelighter," Wyatt began and then paused, "because you're our friend and it would mean risking your life."_

"_I'll learn a lot at magic school," Alana said, "So that I won't get hurt. I'll learn enough so that none of us get hurt." Her determination rose, "Who knows you better than I do?" _

_"No one," Chris said immediately and breathed heavily, "Which is why you can't do it."_

"_I think we should let her do it." Wyatt said to Chris, "She's pretty headstrong."_

December 2019_  
_

"_I'm tired." Chris whined._

"_I'm so much more than dead." Alana agreed._

"I think we did great. We got fourteen demons in three hours." Wyatt said with a grin.

"Yes, we did. I don't plan on going on that suicide mission again, Wyatt." Chris mumbled.

"Me either" Alana piped in, "as your whitelighter..." she whined, "I'm tired, Wyatt."

_  
"You guys can't fall asleep. You still have homework to do." Wyatt said to them._

The two groaned, but fell asleep anyways.

_Wyatt smiled as he orbed Alana home. "You did great." He said quietly to her, "You've proven yourself in so many ways." He stared at her rosy cheeks and thick eyelashes. The child-like innocence held in her face made Wyatt want to do everything to protect her. It also hurt him to think of the things he had said to her less than a year before. _

"_Sorry," he said to sleeping figure, "I shouldn't have doubted you. You've worked so hard to help us."_

August 2020

"_I can't believe you two are actually dating." Chris said, "Isn't that going to get between your duties as our whitelighter."_

"_Why would it?" Wyatt asked with a frown._

"_Because then she won't think with a clear head. She'll always be stepping in at the wrong time."_

"_I already did that the first time I revealed myself." Alana said to him._

"_And because of you, Wyatt almost died." Chris pointed out._

"_Actually, I think your brain is fuzzy Chris. She orbed in to shield you from the darklighter and then healed my wound." Wyatt shot angrily. _

"_Whatever." Chris slumped into the chair._

"_You're not going to get mad at me again, are you?" Alana asked him, "I can't take that."_

_"Neither can I," Chris mumbled as he thought back to when they first discovered her, "We're not going to as good friends as we used to be now because you're dating Wyatt." Chris admitted finally._

"_Chris… that's" Alana began._

"_A joke" Wyatt snorted, "You two have been close friends for twelve years. I don't see that changing because she's dating me. In fact, she'll probably be here even more now and you'll get so sick of her that you'll kick her out."_

_Chris and Alana both gave Wyatt a dirty look._

"_I was just trying to make you feel better."_

June 2023

"_So you're really family now?" Chris asked Alana._

"_That's right. We're going to be in-laws." Alana said with a smirk, "Now you're never going to escape me."_

"_How is that a change?" Chris asked her dryly, "You practically live here."_

"_I'll be here every morning and you can say, 'Hello beautiful sister, how are you this morning?'" Alana joked._

"_Don't count on it" Chris said, arching his brows, "So you go from high school graduate to engaged in one week."_

_"It is a little fast," Alana admitted hesitantly, "But it'll be worth it, right?"_

_"I don't know, baby sister." He joked before patting her shoulder and orbing out._

_"I'll be nineteen... that's something, right?" she asked him with a sigh._

_End Flashback._

A month later:

"We've known a week Alana, when are we going to tell them?" Wyatt asked her.

"I don't know, sweetie." Alana said nervously, "I didn't think we'd get pregnant this fast."

"You don't regret this, do you?" Wyatt asked her.

"Of course not." Alana said to Wyatt, "I'll love any child we have. I'm just nervous."


	12. Alternative

**Author's Note**: If you have any questions about the characters and/or get confused, refer to the character sheet. Thanks for reading my story :)

Happy Holidays.

* * *

"Hear these words, hear my cry

Spirit from the other side

Come to me, I summon the

Cross now the great divide"

An alternate version of Emma appeared before herself, "How is my brother?" the girl pressed to the present version of Emma.

"Which brother?" The present Emma asked the Alternate version of herself.

"I meant Chris," Alternate Emma said the Present version, "I suppose it could apply to Wyatt too."

"Chris and Bianca are going to have a baby in six months. This morning Alana and Wyatt revealed they're going to have another child."

Alternate Emma looked torn between sheer hilarity and concern, "I expected Alana to be pregnant," she answered finally, "Though she is a little late, but Chris?..."

"Are you laughing?" Present Emma asked, "What's funny?"

"Chris being a father is a bit beyond the realms of possibility." Alternate Emma explained, "He's so neurotic and worried, that him being a father doesn't seem like a possibility."

"Really?" came the hurt tone of Chris, who revealed himself behind a couch.

"Chris! What are you doing here?" Present Emma demanded, "Are you spying on me?" she asked him angrily.

"What's going on Emma?" Chris said finally, "Why are there two of you?"

"Did going to the past make you stupider?" Alternate Emma asked angrily, "I still exist in case you haven't noticed."

"Emma?" Chris asked finally.

"Yes?" both answered in an equally irritated tone.

"You're my Emma," Chris realized as he spoke to her, "I'm sorry for not saving you."

"You should be sorry," she said cooling down a bit, "You left me behind, Chris. Not that you care."

"Of course I care!" Chris said in surprise, "You're my sister. How could I not care?"

"Two years, Chris. I came upon her on accident; A spell gone wrong." Present Emma said, "I know you're not from this timeline, our Chris was sent to yours."

"Where is he?" Chris asked in alarm.

"Probably getting killed," Alternate Emma said with a sigh, "He's a moron. He appeared shortly after you left. He went up to Wyatt and started acting like best friends. Biggest mistake he could have made; had consequences for everyone. Wyatt thinks that Chris is messing with him."

Present Emma looked at Chris, "We've been speculating combining your soul with his."

"We weren't sure we wanted to do this," Alternate Emma elaborated, "For a certain amount of time, it's going to be like you have two voices in your head."

"We need to get him out that universe," Chris agreed, "Not only could he screw up the balance, but he won't survive."

Alternate Emma said finally, "Take two and make them one. Reverse that magic that has been done. Two versions of one mind, we plea that that they combine."

Chris disappeared and reappeared quickly, except now he was much younger.

"That did not go as planned," Alternate Emma muttered, "This isn't good."

Present Emma looked at the young Chris, "How old are you?"

"Where am I?" Chris demanded, and then supplemented, "Who are you?"

"He's fourteen," Alternate Emma explained, "Right after 'the event' occurred."

"Why didn't the spell work?" Present Emma asked, "It should have worked."

"I wasn't specific enough; his past and his present combined. Dammit, I shouldn't have been out of practice for this long." Alternate Emma said with exasperation.

"Mom is not going to be happy. Bianca won't be happy either." Present Emma said suddenly, "If they catch us, I'm going to be in so much trouble."

"We don't have time to worry about that. If we don't fix this your Chris will be a target for Wyatt and demons alike" Alternate Emma said harshly, "Priorities."

"What happened?" Chris said suddenly, "What did you do Emma?", he then wiggled uncomfortably while fighting within himself, "Who is Emma? The younger version asked a second later fighting for control of what was rightfully his body.

"He's still in there," Alternate Emma said to Present Emma, "The two of them are struggling for control. We aren't going to get anywhere until they stop."

Present Emma gave Chris a nasty look, "You two need to stop right now!" she shot at Chris who continued to fidget uncontrollably.

Chris stopped and was about to say something, before Present Emma cut him off, "One at a time!" then she cooled down, "Younger Chris goes first, it's only fair."

"Who are you?" he asked.

Alternate Emma sighed, "We've brought you eight years into the future. We are Emma Halliwell at age seventeen."

"You're next future boy. What do you want to say?" Present Emma said impatiently.

"That spell was a masterpiece."

Alternate Emma gave him a dirty look, "I'm a little out of practice."

Chris sighed, "So fix it."

"He's so weak and puny. I might want to keep him like this." Present Emma said with a gleeful smirk.

"Don't even think about it," the older part of Chris said to her, "You're already in enough trouble as is."

"That won't help," Alternate Emma agreed, "Does anyone have an idea?"

"Try a separation spell." The younger part of Chris suggest, "In the book there's a spell."

"Chris at fourteen had brains. I like this." Alternate Emma said appreciatively.

Chris orbed the Book of Shadows into her arms, "Thanks" Present Emma said.

"Separate what shouldn't occur, these spirits belong together no more." Present Emma read aloud.

Chris reappeared fully grown with a sigh.

"Rough afternoon," Alternate Emma said to them, "Look, I should go. I've spent too much time here and I really need to get back to protecting innocents. Emma, your Chris shouldn't be in any danger anymore."

"Bye Emma" Present Emma said and Alternate Emma disappeared.

Chris looked guiltily at the ground, "What am I gonna do?"

"You'll figure it out," Emma said in a soft tone, "You always do."

"I want to combine your minds," Chris said to her, "So she'll come here."

"No," Emma said strongly, "Alternate E is a good friend, but I don't need her intensity inside of my head."

"Emma. She is you." Chris reasoned softly.

"So?" Emma asked him.

He took a minute to reapproach the situation, "Do you think I deserve to be here?"

"Of course I do." Emma said to him, "You've done so much."

"Right," Chris said and looked at her, "But do you think Alternate Emma deserves to be there?"

Emma sighed, "Just do it."

"Take two and make them one. Reverse that magic that has been done. Two versions of Emma Halliwell, Combine their minds and please compel. Rid this magic of consequence, bring us Emma Halliwell after the 'event'." Chris said from memory.

Emma breathed in heavily, she looked down at her clothes, "Chris?"

"Guys, what are you doing?" Wyatt called as he orbed into the room.

Emma's eyes widened in fear, "Wyatt" she said softly.

"Emma, are you okay?" He asked her with concern.

"No" she answered before falling to the ground unconsciously.


	13. Pinnacle

Author's Note: If you have any questions about the characters and/or get confused, refer to the character sheet. Thanks for reading my story :)

Happy Holidays.  
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"Emma," Wyatt begged in a soft tone, "You've got to wake up."

Emma stirred a bit and Wyatt helped her off the floor, "You almost hit your head." Chris said to her, "That wouldn't have been good."

"No, definitely not." Taunted a demon as it appeared in the attic. Emma watched the demon with fear, for some reason or another she couldn't control her powers.

The demon blinked over to Emma with a smirk. Wyatt gave the demon with a nasty glare, "Don't ever look at my sister like that."

Wyatt's hands warmed with fire and the demons were incinerated. As they burned to death, Emma stared in horror at what had just happened.

"Thanks, Wy" Chris said with a breath of relief, before watching as Emma orbed away, "Emma?" came the call of Wyatt and Chris.

* * *

"You like her," Penny teased her cousin as she ran her hands through her red hair, "I can't believe I didn't figure it out until now."

"That's because I'm the empath." Michael said and then closed his eyes after realizing his mistake, "I have become really stupid recently."

"You're just a little bit confused right now," Penny joked lightly, "I would not want to be an empath in magic school."

"It's such a pain," Michael mumbled tiredly, "I've learned to control it around my family, but each day there are new people I have yet to encounter."

"Do you know who made these cookies?" Jacob asked as he faded into the room, "They look edible, but it depends who made them."

"I think Aunt Piper made them," Michael answered his older brother, "But I don't really know."

"You look stressed out, Mikey." Rachel said as she bit into a cookie, "You look pale."

"I'm picking up on someone's intensity," Michael said rubbing his head, "But I'm not sure who's"

"Hey, let's get you out of here." Jacob said gingerly as he helped his younger brother up. The two of them faded out.

"Can you help me scan the house to make sure we don't have any unwelcome guests?" Rachel asked Penny.

Penny nodded, "Of course." She orbed into Michael's room, she tried to sense any hiding individuals and decided they definitely weren't in his room.

Rachel looked through Jacob's room for a spot where anyone would be hiding. She couldn't find anyone and choose to look in her parent's room next. Rachel couldn't see anyone around and blinked in surprise, "What is going on?" she mused to herself.

She faded back into the kitchen, "I couldn't find anyone." Penny said to Rachel when she arrived.

"I'll be right back." Rachel said suddenly to Penny. She faded out of the kitchen and into her room.

She found Emma on her bed, sobbing her eyes out. "Emma..." Rachel said softly, "What's wrong?"

Emma tried to speak, but kept sobbing, "I'm---" She put her head back into her hands.

Penny orbed into the room suddenly, "Emma?" she asked in a confused tone and gave Rachel a look.

"Wyatt" Emma said finally through heavy breaths, "He--"

"Did he hurt you?" Penny asked suddenly in a suspicious tone, "What did he do?" She asked, her eyes flared with concern.

"Wyatt would never hurt Emma!" Rachel said angrily to Penny, "So wherever you got that theory, you better send it right back."

"I wouldn't trust your judgment, Rachel." Penny said hotly, "You don't have the best taste."

"What does that mean?" Rachel said as she stood up to face Penny.

"Your boyfriend utilizes his spare time by hurting those who can't defend themselves." Penny said coldly, "He's a monster."

"Or maybe he's teaching these kids to defend themselves." Rachel corrected in an angry tone, "Some of the kids at magical school are wasting their time."

"I can't believe you know what he's doing and you dare to support him." Penny said in a sharp tone, "We are children of the Charmed Ones. We are supposed to help protect the purity of magic."

"Maybe I don't want to do that anymore." Rachel said bitterly, "Maybe I think it's time magic was restricted to those who know how to use it."

Emma looked up fearfully, "Rachel, if you're going to use magic to hurt others, then I can't be around you." she said in a concerned tone before orbing out.

"Dammit Penny!" Rachel shouted at her cousin, "Now we've lost her. God knows where she is going to go! She's not stable in case you haven't noticed."

Penny groaned. She touched the book that Emma had just been holding. Suddenly she was pulled into a premonition.

"_So we meet again, little one." Wyatt said. His hair was longer and he had facial hair, "I didn't think you'd come alone. You always bring that buffoon."_

"_He's not here. He's gone home." Emma answered him. Her hair was messy and matted with dirt, her clothing had holes in different spots._

"_Home?" Wyatt demanded angrily, "Back to the past?"_

"_That was not the same version of our Chris. He didn't belong here. He went home." Emma shot at Wyatt._

"_Leaving you defenseless." Wyatt said with a smirk._

"_I'm never defenseless, Wyatt. You should know that by now." Emma said in the strongest tone she muster. _

"_Is that so?" Wyatt taunted in the same tone, "You can't freeze me. Orbing does you little good. And your inability to hurt me with the power of molecular combustion has you weak and pathetic, if not defenseless."_

"_At least I don't have to hurt others to get what I want." Emma said bitterly, "You may have the city under your control, but you'll never have a family."_

"_That's where you're wrong, little one. I have a son. He will one day inherit his father's throne."_

"_Matthew would never inherit your throne." Emma spat at Wyatt, "He is pure. He won't be tainted and I will never let you see him."_

"_I don't remember asking for your permission." Wyatt said coldly and closed his hand into a fist. Emma fell to the floor helpless until she faded away, "What just happened!" Wyatt demanded of the demons standing watch._

"_We'll find out my lord." one of the demons answered before shimmering out. _

* * *

"She came here." Penny mumbled incoherently.

"What just happened?" Rachel asked her younger cousin, "What did you see?"

"Emma from the Alternate Universe. She's here." Penny said nervously, "That isn't good. She might attack Wyatt, see him as threat."

"What Alternate Universe?" Rachel demanded of Penny, "What is going on?"

"This will take forever to explain." Penny mumbled and tried to rack her brain for a way to cut down on the time it would take, "You have telepathy."

"Only with Jacob, why?" Rachel asked her.

"You need to use that power to tap into my premonition." Penny said to her.

"That's not what my power does. It's just a link between my brother and I." Rachel said helplessly.

"Maybe the power can grow," Penny said in a hurried tone, "Here" she said to Rachel as she held onto the book and onto Rachel, "Close your eyes and focus on the book."

Rachel closed her eyes and tried to focus, but too many things muddled her mind.

"Focus" Penny reiterated and closed her eyes as well. A moment later Rachel was pulled into Penny's collective premonitions.

When Rachel had seen the last one, she sat on the bed once more. She held her head and rubbed her temples, "The bridge." she whispered.

Penny frowned, "What?"

"Golden Gate Bridge. All three of them like to go up there and think. I never go up there because heights scare me and I'm afraid I'll fall."

"That's where my dad proposed to mom," Penny said suddenly, "I'll get Emma."

"I'm coming too." Rachel said in an unsteady tone as she accepted the hand that was extended towards her.

* * *

"Emma?" Penny called from atop the Golden Gate Bridge. She closed her eyes and was drawn to Emma's magic. She held Rachel's hand and orbed them both to the bead Emma was leaning against.

"He's still got his power." Emma said incoherently to Penny, "He's still powerful."

"Wyatt's always going to have his powers, Emma." Penny yelled against the wind, "But he's not that person here."

"He'll hurt me." Emma mumbled weakly.

"Wyatt would never hurt you," Rachel reasoned to Emma, "He loves you too much." Rachel stepped closer to Emma and put her hand on her, "I'm going to take you home."

"No!" Emma yelled and pushed Rachel off the bridge.

"Rachel!" Penny screamed in horror. She watched Rachel fall swiftly until Rachel disappeared. Penny gave Emma a nasty look before grabbing her. Emma tried to push her, "No way, Emma." Penny threatened and orbed her into the attic.

"Cage! Now!" Chris yelled to Wyatt.

"Crystals!" Wyatt called and orbed the crystals around Emma, effectively trapping her in a crystal cage for the time being.

Penny fell onto the couch and began to breath heavily, "Is Rachel okay?" she asked in a concerned tone.

"Rachel?" Chris asked her in a confused tone.

"Emma pushed her off the Golden Gate Bridge." Penny said in a horrified tone, "Please don't let her be dead."

"Uncle Coop?" Wyatt said suddenly. Chris and Penny looked up at him.

Coop put his arm on Penny's arm comfortingly, "Rachel is fine," He said to her, "It's okay. She faded into the house, but she's not handling this so well so I better go home."

"What's wrong?" Chris asked Coop.

"Rachel is deathly afraid of heights. She's having a bit of an anxiety attack, but I'm going to help her calm down." Coop said to his nephews and niece, he looked at Wyatt, "Maybe you should get your father to help you with Emma."

Wyatt nodded, "We probably should get dad. He'll know how to calm her down."


	14. Trauma

Author's Note: If you have any questions about the characters and/or get confused, refer to the character sheet.

Thanks to Klutz242 for your review, it inspired me to write another chapter today. :)  
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Jacob and Michael were sitting on a couch opposite of Rachel. Rachel was covered by a heavy blanket. Her face was red, with white pelt marks. She hadn't spoken much in the last two hours.

"Mikey," she said suddenly to her younger brother. Michael perked up and with soft eyes looked at her with concern, "You should go stay at Aunt Paige's."

Michael stared at sister intently for a moment, "I'll be okay," he said in mumble, "I'm more worried about you."

"I know you are," she said in a childish tone, "But you're not healthy here. I'm a wreck."

Phoebe hugged her daughter, "Sweetie, you're going to be fine." she rubbed her daughter's back, "I'm sorry that happened."

Jacob looked at Michael, "Maybe you should go."

"Fine," Michael said in a disagreeing tone, "I guess I'll go for the night." he looked at his older sister, "I hope you feel better."

Rachel gave him a small smile. Jacob and Michael went upstairs to pack some things while Coop and Phoebe focused on Rachel's trauma.

* * *

Piper and Leo showed up a few minutes after Emma had been trapped in the crystals. She looked at them with a bewildered expression, "Is my baby girl alright?" Leo whispered to Chris with concern.

"I think she'll be okay in a bit, but I've got to talk to you, Dad." Chris said in a wary tone.

Leo gave a worried glance to the worn out girl in the crystal cage. Piper stared at Emma with the deepest concern, "What happened to her?"

"Emma from this timeline met the Emma from my timeline," Chris said softly, "They became friends. I did something wrong though."

"What did you do, Chris?" Leo asked in a suspicious tone. That tone struck Chris, as it reminded him of the days when the girls and Leo hadn't trusted him.

"I coerced Emma into letting the other Emma and her share the same body." Chris said in a regretful tone, "I didn't think it all the way through. We had done it for the other version of myself and thought it would work. Emma from this timeline and Emma from that timeline are too different. I think it resulted with Emma from that timeline taking over her body."

"Chris, this isn't good." Piper shrilled at him in an angry whisper.

"I know, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." Chris said in an apologetic mumble.

"We need to focus on fixing this," Leo said to his neurotic son and his overprotective wife, "We can deal with the ramifications later."

"Leo, you can't go see her." Chris whispered with sincerest regret.

"Why not?" Leo asked him suspiciously.

"In my timeline, you abandoned us, Dad." Chris explained to him, "Not because you wanted to. After you saw Wyatt turned evil, he forced you to flee. He knew that with you by our side, his attacks could potentially be fruitless. When we were kids, Wyatt used to always pick on Emma and you took his side. After he became evil, you finally took Emma's side and began to repair your relationship. Shortly after the two of you called a truce, you were forced to move up to Elder Land. Wyatt said if he caught your powers being used, he would kill Emma. Wyatt's promise not the kill Emma if you stayed up there was the only thing allowing me to go back and fix the past, without it I would have never left."

"This is great," Piper said with tears in her eyes, "My daughter hates her father. Look what misuse of magic has done." she lectured Chris.

"She doesn't hate him, Piper," Chris said softly, "She loves him, but she feels betrayed by him."

Piper and Leo stared at Chris for a moment, "What's wrong?" Chris asked his parents.

"We've been too hard on you," Leo said apologetically, "We're sorry."

"Sweetie," Piper added softly, "You can always call us 'mom' and 'dad'"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Chris said a moment later, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I was just feeling a bit off-guard." He looked at his parents for another moment, "Maybe Mom should go and talk to Emma. Dad, can you help heal her if she's injured?"

"Why didn't Wyatt heal her?" Piper asked Chris in a sharp tone.

"Wyatt's the problem." Chris whispered.

"She said that?" Piper asked him curiously.

"No," Chris hesitated, "She felt it."

"Felt what?" Leo asked Chris suddenly.

"I think your Chris is an empath," Chris said suddenly, "I feel people's turmoil quiet a bit."

"Since when?" Piper asked him with a confused look.

"His power is pretty strong. I'm going to bet he's had a long time to train this power to not drive him crazy. I haven't had that same amount of him. Emma's really anxious any time Wyatt is around her."

"Because he hurt her in the other timeline?" Piper answered Chris' statement.

"Yeah," Chris explained to his parents, "She seemed to really peak after Wyatt threw his hands up and incinerated a few demons that were after her."

"So Wyatt was protecting her," Leo reasoned, "Why the fear?"

"I don't know if she fears Wyatt as a person or just the power Wyatt possesses," Chris admitted to them, "But I can understand her concern. Wyatt's powers are a bit unnerving. He can read minds, incinerate people with his hands, he has nearly every whitelighter ability and there is so much more I am unaware of."

"But Wyatt is good here." Piper said in a sharp tone, it was obvious to Chris she was trying to mask how much it hurt to hear Chris talk about Wyatt like he was a tyrant again.

"Mom, I know" Chris said in a soft tone and put his hands on her shoulder, "Wyatt is very good here. He's everything I always wanted him to be. He's everything Emma wanted him to be. Emma's younger than we are though. She was only nine when the Event occurred. The Event was the catalyst that made Wyatt lose his mind. Emma grew up to watch his terrorize people and that scarred her a bit. Luckily, Wyatt could never kill her. He didn't have the stomach too. More than anything he wanted us to join him."

Piper looked at Emma's face and saw something she hadn't seen in a quite awhile. Fear was written all over her face. Piper wasn't used to her teen daughter looking so afraid. Normally, her daughter was rambling on about how Wyatt was getting on her nerves. Other days she was begging her mother to give her money so she could add music to her E-drop. On lucky days, Emma would volunteer to watch Matthew for her and then Piper and Leo could go out. Piper rarely had free time, most of her time was spent managing her restaurant but her family was still her first priority.

'The last time I saw her cry was her first day of the junior high level of magic school. Some boy had broken her heart and Emma had spent the whole day crying. She didn't stay like that for long. She decided destroying demons was so much more effective.' Piper mused.

She walked over to her daughter, "Emma, honey, are you okay?"

"Mom?" Emma asked from the crystal cage, "Is that really you?"

Chris' eyes widened, he didn't even think of what Emma's reaction would be when she saw their mother again. Piper removed the crystal hesitantly and the cage was broken, "Promise not to orb."

Emma lunged herself onto Piper, "Mama, it is you!" she said as tears streamed down her face, "I'm sorry I didn't save you."

Chris wanted to scream 'Future Consequences', but then realized he was in the future. "It's okay, sweetheart. I would never blame you." Chris knew that his mother was speaking to Emma, but it comforted him too.

Piper helped Emma onto the couch and leaned her daughter against her chest, "I missed you." Emma mumbled to her mother.

Leo came over and put his hand on Emma, hoping to heal her. Leo didn't know whether to consider it was lucky that Emma had no physical injuries or unlucky that he couldn't heal her emotionally.

"Daddy?" came the faint whisper. Leo sat next to Emma. As he looked into Emma's eyes, he saw so much. Hatred. Confusion. Sadness. Then he saw resolve.

"I'm sorry I left you," Leo said softly to his daughter, "I would never leave you if I didn't have to."

Chris didn't think these were the best choice of words, but he kept his lips sealed. "We were just becoming close again." Emma said indignantly.

"You don't look too good, sweetheart," Leo said softly to her, "I'm going to stay with you every minute through your recovery."

Chris longed for his father to have said that to him in his future. Emma looked at her father, "Promise me?"

Chris knew that if Leo broke this promise, there would be no recovery between that relationship. He wanted to relay this information to Leo, but looking at the pure look of intense dedication Leo had, Chris knew he didn't need too.

"Promise you."

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	15. Voices

Author's Note: If you have any questions about the characters and/or get confused, refer to the character sheet. Thanks for reading my story :)

I never really had an opinion on Bianca. I can go either way, really. I didn't really like her, but I didn't dislike her. As Jordan on Scrubs has famously said, "I don't dislike you, I nothing you". I mostly kept her around because Chris loved her and I didn't feel like creating an original character for him to be with.  
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"Chris, sweetie, are you okay?" Bianca asked him from their bed, "You don't look too good."

How was Chris going to tell Bianca about who he was. He wasn't the Chris she had fallen in love with. He didn't even remember how they met. All Chris knew was that he was so grateful that she was alive and that he would love her forever.

'You're so mushy' A voice said to him.

Chris frowned, 'I'm what?' he asked himself.

'Mushy' the voice explained, as if talking to a small child.

Chris realized the voice was his own, 'This is not a good time to be losing my mind.' He thought to himself.

'I am the real Chris. The one who actually belongs here, damn, you're a bit neurotic.' the voice lectured him, 'You said a spell to combine minds. Did you really think so little of yourself that you didn't think I'd vocalize my thoughts.'

'You sure didn't help earlier with Emma.' Chris thought bitterly.

'That's your Emma. Meaning she's your problem. By the way, she is a little psychotic.' The voice joked.

'Don't talk about my sister like that.' Chris shot back angrily.

'Cool it, I'm here to help.' the voice said in chastising tone.

'Help what?' Chris asked the voice.

'Help you with our wife.' the voice said in a softer tone, 'You don't know much about her. She's wonderful.'

'I know that,' Chris said defensively, 'I love her.'

'Not as long as I have,' the voice explained to him and gained control of their shared body, 'She means everything to me. I won't let you ruin that with your bumbling mistakes.'

The version of Chris that originated from this universe sat on the bed next to his wife and said with earnest, "I love you." he pulled Bianca to his chest, "I'm sorry I've been so busy with my family."

"Just remember that we're family too," Bianca said with a family as she put his hand on her stomach, "They're going to need daddy in their life."

'She's pregnant!?' the voice demanded of Chris.

'Do we not share the same memories?' Chris asked the voice, 'Lousy spell.'

'Obviously not,' The voice said in a surprised tone, 'I'm going to be a father.'

'Do you even want to be a father?' Chris asked the voice.

'Not really' The voice said to him.

'What does that mean?' Chris asked the voice angrily.

'Relax,' the voice said to him, 'Of course I want to be a father. I just didn't expect to be a father this soon. We're twenty-two.'

'Twenty-three in a week?' Chris offered in a comforting tone to the voice. The voice was the real father of this baby Chris realized.

'We're both the father.' the voice corrected Chris, 'If you would relax, I could explain it to you.'

Chris loosened a bit, 'Explain away'

'The spell did work,' The voice explained, 'But it's going to take a bit of time until we come to a consensus about things. Once we do, our minds and memories will blend.'

'How do you know?' Chris asked the voice suspiciously.

'I went to magic school for four years. I studied spells like this.' The voice explained to him.

"Chris?" Bianca asked him with concern, "You seem to be dazing in out a lot."

"Sorry," the voice said to Bianca as he regained control, "I'm fine. I'm a little distracted."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Bianca asked him gently.

Chris wanted to answer 'Yes!' and ask her what she thought he should do.

'You can't bring up those memories,' the voice shot at him, 'I won't let you hurt her.'

'But she could help.' Chris argued.

'No.' The voice said in a definitive tone, 'Not like this.'

"I'm fine," Chris said as cozied into bed with her, he put his hand around her and the two feel asleep.

__________________

"You look like a mess," Penny said as she handed him a blanket, "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'm not the one who fell off the Golden Gate Bridge," Michael said with an ironic laugh, "You're faring quite well for someone who watched."

"Actually, I'm a wreck. But two years ago I took an empath blocking potion." Penny explained.

Michael looked at he with great curiosity and a bit more anger, "How did you get an empath blocking potion?" he demanded.

"I bought in the underworld." Penny explained hesitantly.

"You went to the Underworld?" Michael said with great intensity, "Do you understand how dangerous the Underworld is?"

"You're importing a bit of rage there, Michael." Penny said hesitantly, "Calm down."

"No, this is all me." He said angrily and then stopped before repeating, "This is all me."

"You're kind of scary when you're angry." Penny said in tired tone.

"I've never really been able to feel my own emotions," Michael said softly, "Sorry that I yelled at you."

"S'ok" she said back to him with a smile, "I paid a lot for the potion, so I'm glad it's lasted this long."

Michael gave a chastising look, "You are supposed to be the good cousin."

Penny gave him a smirk, "For how long you can't be sure." she laughed and then added, "Night, Michael. I hope you feel better."

"I'll be fine. I'm just worried about my sister." He said before closing his eyes.

Penny closed the door to the guest room and then turned to her mother, "I think he'll be okay."

Paige smiled at her daughter, "Good night, Penny"

Penny nodded tiredly, "Good night, Mom"

* * *

Wyatt held Matthew to his chest, "Your auntie hates me." He said softly.

"Muh-Muh?" Matthew asked him sadly.

Wyatt kissed his son's head, "I could never hurt my family. I can't even comprehend how he did it." Wyatt watched his wife protectively as she slept. "And I could never hurt your baby brother or sister either."

Wyatt walked down the stairs of the manor. He looked at a portrait of his family that was taken ten years prior. "Aunt Emma was such a kid. I think she had just started second grade." he teased to his toddler son, "This was before magic school. I was fourteen and Uncle Chris was almost thirteen." He laughed, "I had just started high school. Look at my hair. I thought I was so cool. I used to rub it in Uncle Chris' face, because he was only in 7th grade."

Matthew gurgled happily, "Love you"

That warmed Wyatt's heart a bit and he leaned his head on his son's, "I love more than anything in the world." He whispered to his son.

"That is one of the many differences between you and him." Came a voice from living room.

"Mom, what are you doing up?" Wyatt asked softly, "it's late."

"I was making sure your sister was getting some sleep." Piper said softly, "But, I'm just as concerned about you, kiddo."

Wyatt looked worried, "Is she going to be okay?"

"She'll be fine," Piper answered him, "Come here, let's talk." Piper held out her hand and Wyatt hesitantly took it.

As soon as the two of them were situated, Wyatt looked at his mother with sorrow. "She hates me." He said softly.

"She doesn't hate you, sweetie." Piper said to him, "She's a little scared of you."

"That's worse!" Wyatt stuttered.

"How is that worse?" Piper asked him with a strange glance.

"Well, she's always hated me," Wyatt said with a small laugh, "But I don't ever remember her being afraid of me. I used to wish she was, so she'd stop bugging me. Awful of me, I guess."

"That's not our Emma," Piper said in a reassuring manner, "That Emma comes from a completely different world, one that we worked to change. We wanted to keep everyone safe."

"You guys did a good job," Wyatt said to his mother, "but, I still feel responsible."

"We didn't do it," Piper corrected with a smile, "Your little brother did that one. You're far from a saint, but you are Chris' dream come true and Emma's too I'm sure."

"Gramma," Matthew asked as he extended his arms, "Hug."

"Hey cuddle bug," Piper said warmly to her grandson, "Did daddy keep you up?"

Wyatt snorted, "No, he kept me up." Matthew frowned at that statement.

Piper continued to comfort her son and then gave him a kiss on the cheek, "You need to go to sleep. You've got your rotation tomorrow."

"That's right. Man, I forgot." Wyatt said hitting his head on hand, "Night Mom," he said softly, "Thanks for the talk."

________________

Emma stared at the room. It was painted a bright pastel orange and was plastered with posters of different bands that Emma had never head of. There was a dresser and a high-tech television. There was a shelf filled with a few dvd's and even less books.

Emma looked at a poster for a band on the ceiling, 'Two Man Terror?' she asked herself, 'What kind of name is that?'

'The lead singer is incredibly attractive,' Present Emma answered, 'He's not a bad singer either.'

Emma jumped in surprise, 'Who are you?' Emma asked suspiciously.

'You know who I am. That doesn't matter. You need to apologize to Rachel right now.'

'She's okay, though. That man said that your cousin is okay.' Emma reasoned.

'My cousin's name is Rachel. She is deathly afraid of heights. If you don't apologize, I'll throw us off the Golden Gate Bridge myself.'

'You wouldn't dare. You would die too' Emma shot back nastily.

'You're going to apologize to her. I will not repeat myself.' Present Emma said in an angry tone.

'You can't control me,' Emma said with a smirk, 'Dare you to try.'

'Is that what you think?' Present Emma demanded, 'I am a lot stronger than you are. I have more powers and more willpower. I can take control any moment I choose.'

Emma arched her brows as if to say, "Prove it"

Present Emma worked with all her strength and finally stood up, she added with a smirk, 'I believe I just did.' the victory didn't last, a moment later she felt her knees buckle as she fell to the floor in pain, 'What the hell?'

'That wasn't me.' Emma said with concern, 'Are you okay?' before the pain blacked her out.

* * *

"Leo?!" Piper screamed with concern, "Emma, sweetie, wake up." she said through her tears.

"What happened?" Leo asked as he put his hands over Emma's body.

"She won't wake up." Piper said hysterically, "She's barely breathing!"

"Piper, she's not healing." Leo said nervously.

"Why wouldn't she heal?!" Piper demanded angrily.

"It's a normal illness?" Leo asked himself, he tried to wrack his brain, "She's not dead, that's clear. I don't know. We need to get her to a hospital."

Leo orbed Emma into the backseat, he held her softly. Piper opened the door of her car, "Name please?" the car asked her.

"Piper Halliwell." Piper said in a bare whisper.

"Voice recognized. Welcome back, Mrs. Halliwell. Destination?" The car's computer asked her.

"Memorial Hospital." Leo choked out as Piper fastened her seat belt.

The engine turned on, ready to go anywhere.

_______________


	16. Beg

Author's Note:

Emma and Chris from this timeline will be referred to as Present Emma or Present Chris. I know nothing about medicine and medical training. But essentially, Wyatt is twenty-four (nearly twenty-five), he finished medical school and his undergraduate in six years by enrolling in a seven year program and taking classes during his school breaks. He is a first year medical resident working at Memorial Hospital. If you can believe in a universe where there is magic, then you can discard the rules of medicine ;)

Thanks for reading :D Your reviews inspire me.

* * *

Wyatt sighed. Last summer he had finished his last year of medical school. At 24, Wyatt was lucky enough to have been accepted into a seven year doctorate of medicine program. He had taken up extra classes between his breaks and was finally in his first year of residency.

Wyatt was specializing in Internal Medicine, though sometimes he speculated specializing over Oncology. 'Possible Cancer' Wyatt thought as he read the chart of his next victim. 'Victim!?' he asked himself, he shook his head, 'I need more sleep.'

He walked into the room of his next patient, before he entering the door he began to speak, a nervous habit he supposed, "Good morning Mrs. Halli-" He frowned as he saw who stood before him, "Mom?"

"Oh God, Wyatt" Piper said bursting into hysterics.

Wyatt looked at the bed where his sister resided, "Emma?" he asked with a whisper, he looked at his chart, 'Emily Halliwell. Seventeen. Born January 8th, 2010. Weight: 110. Height: 5'4. Requested Tests: Bone Marrow Biopsy.' Wyatt's world began to fall apart, "Why?" he asked himself.

He read the chart again, '110 pounds? Has she really lost that much weight?' For the past few years Emma had been at a stable weight, if Wyatt had to guess, it would have been a number closer to 130 pounds.

He then remembered an occurrence a few weeks earlier...

"_Why won't you let me heal your wound?" Wyatt had demanded of his sister._

"_Because it isn't a big deal. Relax, Wyatt. So I hit my arm when I got thrown against the wall. A lot worse could have happened." Emma had explained to him. _

"_Which is why you shouldn't be going after demons," Chris said in an impatient tone, "It's not safe."_

"_Why not?" Emma said back in an equally impatient tone, "Because I'm a girl?"_

"_More like, 'because you're our sister.'" Chris explained to in a softer tone, "We don't want you to get hurt."_

"_That's sweet," Emma said with an arched brow, "But it won't work. I was the sibling on the other side once. I was the eight year old kid sister begging her older brothers not to go hunting demons because I was afraid they weren't going to come back."_

"_So why put us through it now?" Wyatt asked her._

"_Because I'm not the kid sister anymore. I'm not as powerful as you two," Emma argued to them, "But I've got some power of my own."_

_Wyatt put his hand on her wound, "Ha!" he said with a smirk as he healed her wound. Her wound didn't heal entirely, leaving Wyatt to stare at her shoulder intently._

"_How am I ever going to fight demons alone if you always heal my wounds?" Emma demanded angrily. _

"_You wont," Wyatt said to her with a grin, "I'm always going to help you, kid."_

"_Really?" Emma asked with arched brows, "So when Matthew is playing in his first little league game, you're going to be with me fighting demons?"_

_Wyatt's smile faltered, Chris stared at him curiously, "No, I couldn't ditch my son like that."_

"_Good," Emma said with a smile, "So let me grow into this, okay?"_

"_I'm your whitelighter." Wyatt argued weakly._

"_Not a very good one!" she teased as she orbed out of the Attic._

"I'll get someone more qualified," Wyatt stuttered finally to his mother, "I'm not experienced enough to deal with this."

"Wyatt" His mother whispered with a sigh, "What's wrong her?"

Wyatt couldn't look at his mother, "I can't" he mumbled softly.

"Wy?" came a weak questioning voice, Wyatt turned to his sister.

"The hospital thinks Emma has Leukemia." Wyatt choked out.

___________________

"What am I doing here?" Chris asked himself aloud. He read the sign above him, 'South Bay Social Services'

'I got a degree in social work for a reason.' Present Chris explained.

'Because you weren't good at anything else?' Chris asked his alter personality.

'Because I wanted to help people.' Present Chris said in impatient tone.

Chris laughed, 'You're the son of a Charmed One, you help people everyday by doing your work.'

'People are going to think you're crazy if you stay outside the door for another minute, so either go in or not.' Present Chris chastised him.

'You're giving me a choice?' Chris asked curiously.

'No' Present Chris said and took control of his body, he walked into the building.

"Good Morning, you're Chris Halliwell, right?" an older women asked him warmly.

"Uh, yeah." Present Chris said with a smile, he shook the woman's hand.

"This is your office," the woman said to him, "My name is Lisa Donald, I'm your supervisor."

"Nice to meet you, it's a great pleasure." Present Chris said, he settled naturally into the position.

Present Chris settled into his office and read each report that was required for today. 'Manuela Garcia. Born August 28th, 2022. Reported by a neighbor who believes that Manuela's mother is leaving her alone at night without electricity and without food. Manuela is currently in the foster care system awaiting adoption by grandparents.'

'This stuff is really bothering you.' Chris said quietly to Present Chris, 'I can feel how much it's been hurting you.'

'When Wyatt and I were teenagers, we were protecting an innocent. She was a mortal that had been seduced by a demon. We vanquished her husband, not before finding their child in a closet. He had burn marks all over him. We wanted so badly to take the boy from his mother, whom we suspected had taken part in the child's torture.'

'But you couldn't' Chris finished for him.

'I didn't want to ever let a child in need ever be left behind again,' Present Chris continued, 'I know you think that I'm some spoiled brat, but we've got a bit in common. You saved the future. I want to save children.'

'We're different,' Chris admitted, 'You save people to help them. I saved people to help myself. Sorry I've been giving you such a tough time.'

A knock came from outside the door, "Come in" Chris called.

Alana walked in, "You've barely settled in" she chastised with a smile, "I should have figured."

"Wh-" Chris began, before Present Chris took control, "How was your day?"

"It was alright," she said with furrowed brows, "A father broke into one of cases' foster home." Alana frowned, "Nearly scared the foster parents to death."

'She's a social worker too,' Present Chris explained, 'She began in June.'

"What happened?" Chris asked Alana with concern, "Are they okay?"

"I got there as soon as I could. The foster parents now have a restraining order against him. If he comes with 500 feet of the young boy, then he'll be arrested." Alana said.

'She's freaked out,' came the automatic answer of Present Chris, 'Can't you feel it?'

'Very much so. Why can I feel it so harshly. It feels like death.' Chris asked, 'I don't like it.'

'She's my best friend, her emotions are more of a priority than others. So that I can help her when she's unsafe.' Present Chris explained, 'And she's pretty messed up right now. I'm no Wyatt, but I think he'd agree that a pregnant woman should not be stressing out that much.'

'No Wyatt? What does that mean?' Chris asked intrigue.

'I'm no doctor?' Present Chris explained to him as if it was obvious.

'Wyatt's a doctor?' Chris asked him, 'Why didn't he tell me?'

'Probably because he thought you would know?' Present Chris suggested.

"Ready to go home?" Alana asked her best friend with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Chris said warmly. The two walked out, speaking about the children they'd have the next year.

___________________

"Daddy," Emily asked when she awoke, "Where is Wyatt?"

"Shh," Leo said to his daughter, "He'll come around later."

As if taking a cue, Wyatt walked into her room, "I knew you'd come back." Present Emma said to him.

'Oh, so you don't hate me today?' He asked himself in an annoyed tone and then closed his eyes, 'What the hell was I thinking even entertaining that thought.'

Wyatt hesitated, "I didn't know how long I was going to stay away." He said a in hushed tone, "They think you have lukemia. They want to do a bone-marrow biopsy."

"What is that?" Present Emma asked in a hoarse tone.

Wyatt tried to be as professional as he could, "They make you lie on your abdomen. They clean up one of your hips and insert a needle into the marrow so that they can take a sample of your bones. After that you remain in the same position for fifteen minutes and then you are allowed to go home."

Wyatt watched as [Present] Emma cringed at every detailed he added, "You have to do it." Emma said a moment later.

"No way" Wyatt said to her, "First of all, I've never done the procedure. Second of all, I'm not letting my emotional connection to you ruin this procedure. Lastly," he mumbled regretfully, "It's going to hurt and I don't want you to hate me."

'He's nice.' [Alternate] Emma thought appreciatively.

'So you're not scared of him anymore?' Present Emma asked her.

'I'm still scared of his powers, but not him.' She answered, 'He looks so sad that you're in here.'

'You're in here too' Present Emma said, 'It might be nice, but it's annoying. I'm scared of needles. I don't want to go through this. I need my brother.'

"Em?" Wyatt asked, "Look, you need to schedule an appointment to get this taken care of."

"kay," Present Emma said to Wyatt, she looked at him, "Can I go home?"

"Mom will have to sign a release form, but you can go home. I really think you should relax." Wyatt said urgently to her.

"Saying that as my brother or as my doctor?" Emma joked weakly.

Wyatt smiled, "Both" he said to her with a laugh.

* * *

Wyatt closed the door to Emma's room and began to work on his other patients, he looked down. "Halliwell, break time." Another resident said to him with a smile.

"Thanks" he said appreciatively to his co-worker.

'I won't let her get cancer.' Wyatt decided, then went to a restroom to orb home.

He looked at her sleeping body, he put his hand over her body and concentrated as much power as he could. His hands glowed fruitlessly. 'Why isn't this working?' He thought furiously.

Wyatt sighed as he orbed up into the Heavens.

"Wyatt, what are you doing here?" one of the Elders asked him.

"I'm here to see why I can't heal my sister."

"Emily cannot be healed by your powers because her illness was not caused by magic. Whitelighters only heal wounds that are caused by magic." Another Elder explained to him.

"She cannot die!" Wyatt said in angry tone, "I won't let her."

"Wyatt, we know that your sister is important to you, but there are some things that whitelighters cannot interfere with." The first Elder said to him.

"We're sorry," The other Elder said to him, "It was not our wish."

"Don't be sorry," Wyatt said with a nasty glare in his eyes as he orbed away, "Because nothing will ever happen to my family."


	17. Promise

Author's Note:

Thanks for reading :] Character confusion should be referred to the 1st entry.

Ahh. I had to buy college textbooks today. gross. also, writing about bone marrow biopsies required research, which entailed some nasty images. I hope I never get cancer, I could not handle a needle entering my hip.

* * *

Around noon the next day, Wyatt was finishing his thirty hour shift. Residency was not always the best job in the way of timing. An average of eighty hours a week often left Wyatt exhausted, but since the Elders had told him that they would not heal his sister, he had been on this anger high. As a doctor, this was probably not the best way to go.

Wyatt sighed as he got into his car, "Name Please?" the car asked him.

"Wyatt Halliwell" he said to the car.

"Voice Recognized. Welcome back Mr. Halliwell. Destination?" The computer asked him politely.

"Halliwell Manor," he said to the car, "Quickest route."

As he drove, he kept thinking of the sequence of events. Yesterday morning he had gotten up for his first shift of the week, to find that one of his patients was his sister. Some other doctor believed his sister to be exhibiting some symptoms of leukemia and had ordered that a bone marrow biopsy. An appointment had been made for today around one. Then his sister had asked him to do the bone marrow biopsy. That was not going to happen, he wasn't going to let her hate him even more.

"She doesn't hate you. She fears you." His mom had said the night before he began his shift. Like that made it any better. It didn't matter which was true, she would hate him and fear him if he performed the bone marrow biopsy.

He had gone up the stairs to the Attic and looked through the book. There was nothing on a demon or any other creature that caused cancer. 'Of course there isn't. Demons don't cause cancer. They just help it.' He grumbled.

"You need to calm down," Chris said as he orbed in, "You're not going to get anything done this way."

"I'm fine," Wyatt said coolly, "You should be at work."

"Is that a joke? You are not fine, Wyatt" Chris shot back at him, "You are a wreck. Not in a healthy way either. You are way too angry to keep a level head."

"Emma has leukemia." Wyatt said in a hoarse whisper.

"She has it?" Chris asked him quietly, "or they think so?

"It'll be confirmed in less than an hour, Chris" Wyatt said to him, "She has her bone marrow biopsy. She is showing a lot of the early symptoms."

"And your way of coping is going through the book of shadows?" Chris asked him, "What about supporting her?"

"I don't see you supporting her," Wyatt shot angrily to Chris, "Don't call me out on it."

"I'm on my lunch break, I don't have time to be there." Chris answered him.

That infuriated Wyatt, "So your job is more important than your sister?" He demanded.

"No, of course not. Wyatt, you know that. It's just that I'm not a doctor. You apparently are." Chris said to him.

Wyatt gave him an impatient look, "So what am I supposed to do?"

"You have to help her," Chris said in a soft tone, "and maybe you should calm down. Your anger is scaring me."

"You too?" Wyatt shot back angrily.

"Look, I come from a world where you did quite a bit of damage to others." Chris said softly, "And coming to this world is a dream come true. Literally, like I couldn't dream of a world like this if I tried. So please, Calm down, because you are scaring me." Chris orbed out afterwards.

Wyatt closed his eyes, but blinked in surprise when he felt a soft hand on his own, "You're not looking so good."

Wyatt opened his eyes, "I'm just tired." he answered his wife. She was standing there with a gentle smile.

"You should help Emma," Alana suggested to him, "She needs your help."

"I can't heal her." Wyatt answered in a helpless tone, "So I'm useless."

Alana rolled her eyes, "Wyatt, I meant for your to help her by supporting her. You don't need to use magic to do that." She kissed his cheek, "I love you, sweetie" she said and orbed away.

* * *

"You're back." Chris said in surprise to Alana, "That was fast."

"I told him he needs to support Emma." Alana answered, she took a dish out of the refrigerator in the break room, she stuck a fork in the dish, "I know it's hard for him, but they're not even sure she has leukemia."

Chris looked at her curiously, "What do you think will happen if she has it?"

"She'll have to go through chemotherapy," Alana answered simply, then hesitantly added, "Then she'll go through other things."

"I meant to Wyatt. What do you think will happen to Wyatt?" Chris asked her in a firm voice.

"He could lose it." Alana said in a whisper, "I don't want to think of him being evil. I don't want him to hunt you down. You worked too hard for him to go that way."

Chris frowned, "What do you mean?"

Alana looked at him with surprised, "Well, I know. I was created as your whitelighter for such a reason. In another universe, I died. I was then reborn as a whitelighter to watch after you and your siblings."

'She knows. Talk to her about your problems.' Present Chris thought.

'I'm kind of mad that she didn't tell me.' Chris thought to himself.

'Squash that thought,' Present Chris responded, 'I fought with Alana enough as teenagers. Just talk to her.'

"How can you be with him?" Chris asked her curiously, "If you know who he was."

Alana looked at Chris with wounded expression, "Same reason why you can accept him as a brother; Because he is not that person." She gave him a dirty look, "So don't compare him to that monster."

"I'm sorry," Chris said to her, "I'm glad I have someone to talk to. I've been a little stressed out since I got back."

"I could tell," Alana said with a smirk, "You saved me in another universe..." she began.

"So you saved me in this one." Present Chris said as took control of the body he shared with Chris, "Now that is not very nice, Lana." He teased, "Our friendship was based on someone else completely?" he said while feigning an expression of depression.

"Very fun, Brat." She said and play hit him, "I am glad you're in there too. I missed your useless additions to a conversation."

Chris began to laugh, 'She's got you down to a tee.' he said dryly to his Present Counterpart.

* * *

Emma laid on her abdomen, her eyes full of fear. 'I hate needles. This hurts. I want to go home.'

'I'm sorry that they think you have leukemia.' Alternate Emma thought back sorrowfully, 'That must be awful.'

'You lived in a universe where Wyatt destroyed all of San Francisco and you are apologizing to me?' Emma asked her curiously. She closed her eyes and cringed as the needle went deeper, 'Besides' she said a little dryly, 'They think we have leukemia. You are a part of me now.'

'Surprisingly, in that world I was perfectly healthy. You know, outside of the wounds Wyatt choose to inflict on me.' Alternate Emma explained to her, then added in a softer voice, 'Why won't you talk to him?'

'You heard mom, she said Wyatt was working a thirty hour shift. I really thought he would come through for me though. He can't imagine how scared I am without him.'

"Sorry I'm late." a familiar voice said to her. Emma opened her eyes, tears were in her eyelids, "You're going to be fine." Wyatt said in the gentlest tone as he took her hand, "Shh. Close your eyes."

Piper felt tears come to her eyes, she put her hand on Wyatt's back supportively and said softly, "You're doing great, Emma"

In less than fifteen minutes the procedure was completed. The doctor who performed the test looked at Emma and said to her, "Now, we'd like you to stay in the same position for another ten minutes. We're applying gauze to stop the bleeding."

Leo looked at the Doctor, "When will we know the results?"

"Usually it takes a few days, it can take up to a week." The doctor said to them, "It's good that your parents are here. We recommend you rest while at home. You can take an Aspirin to help with the pain."

Emma looked at Wyatt, "It hurts," she complained weakly, "You could have done a better job."

Wyatt laughed, "You always manage to bag on me even when you're sick." He whispered to her, "But, I'm off my shift now. I can help you recover."

"No," she disagreed, she looked into his eyes which were baggy and his exhausted tone, "You need sleep."

"I've got it, Wy" Leo said to his son, "She's right. You need some sleep. You can help her after you've gotten a few hours of rest."

"Mom?" He pleaded.

Wyatt sighed and then closed his eyes, "You're working hard, kiddo" Piper said proudly to him, "But I agree. Nap first. Sister trouble later."

___________________

"You look much better," Penny said warmly to Rachel, "How was your recovery time?"

"I don't plan going on the Golden Gate Bridge again," Rachel said with a sigh, "I don't think I have ever been that scared before."

"I would have been the same as you," Penny said to her, "My greatest fear is snakes. If someone had set a snake loose in the same area as me, I'd be traumatized."

"Rachel!" a voice called, Penny and Rachel looked over to see Chad.

Chad gave Penny a look to which Rachel responded negatively, "Don't you dare, Chad" she added then, "Penny is my family. I won't be with you if you're going to hurt her."

Chad ignored her statement, "Are you okay? I heard about what happened."

"I'm fine now," Rachel answered as she hugged Chad, "I was just really scared."

"I always knew Emma was a bit crazy," Chad mumbled to her, "I'm glad you're safe."

Rachel squeezed out of his hold, then corrected him with a nasty glare, "My cousin is sick, don't you dare talk badly about her."

"You fight with her all the time!" Chad reasoned with her.

"I am not going to repeat myself. Don't talk badly about my cousin." Rachel said to him. Penny looked at Rachel uncomfortably before orbing away to safety.

___________

After sleeping for a few hours, Wyatt finally awoke. It was five in the afternoon now and he knew he needed to look at the Book of Shadows. Before doing so, Wyatt was about to orb into magic school to pick us his son when he saw a figure orb in before him.

"I got him for you." Carter said with a grin, "I figured you would be tired after your shift."

"Aunt Piper told us that you worked thirty hours!" Nicole added a moment later, "That sounds like a lot of work."

Wyatt smiled appreciatively at his cousins, "You're a little young for pickup duty, don't you think?"

"I'm almost eleven," Carter said with a smirk, "Besides, didn't you use to pick up Emma when she was a kid?"

Wyatt's smile disappeared, "Yeah, I did." he said to them.

"Is it true Emma is sick?" Nicole asked Wyatt in a worried tone, "That she has lu-ke-mia?"

"We don't know yet, they just ran tests today." Wyatt said in an evasive manor.

"You know, though." Carter argued, "You're a doctor."

"I'm a resident," Wyatt corrected the ten year old, "And I don't know yet. They have to test her sample and come to their own conclusion."

"Okay," Carter seceded unhappily, "I hope she's okay."

"She'll be fine." Wyatt answered back.

"Promise?" Nicole asked Wyatt in a hopeful manor.

"Promise." Wyatt said with a small smile, "Thanks for bringing Matthew home." Nicole nodded happily before orbing out.

Carter frowned, "Wyatt, you can't promise that. Especially not to my sister. If Emma dies Nikki's going to lose faith in everything she's been brought up to believe is good."

"I've got it under control," Wyatt said in an easy-going matter, "Relax."

"Whatever" Carter said with a roll of his eyes and orbed out after his six year old sister.

* * *

Wyatt continued to search the Book of Shadows for something that could heal his sister's illness when he came upon an entry on 'Demonic Shamans'. Unlike 'Demonic Healers', 'Demonic Shamans' possess actual magic and power. These shaman would create medicines to suit different magical purposes, usually it was used to force some effect on a good individual or was use to heal a fellow demon.

As Wyatt orbed down to underworld, he thought to himself, 'Only extreme circumstances would allow me to work with a demon.' He pondered how his counterpart from the Alternate Universe had worked along-side demons.

"A whitelighter in our midst?" clucked the shaman. The shaman was a short, wrinkled man with nasal tone that rang joyfully as he spoke.

Wyatt sighed for a moment, "I need help."

"And what do I receive in exchange?" the Shaman heckled him.

"I keep you alive." Wyatt threatened with a glint in his eyes, "Do you want to test me?"

"You need me, Whitelighter. If you didn't, you would have healed the victim with your own magic." the Shaman said in a sharp tone, "My death will get you nowhere."

Wyatt knew the Shaman was right, "I promise to effectively end the destruction The Charmed Ones has brought upon the Underworld."


	18. Wyatt

Author's Note:

Thanks for reading :] Originally I planned for Wyatt to sacrifice Emma's reign of terror on the Underworld, but I figured that if that happened Emma would probably kill Wyatt herself. So basically, the next few chapters will focus on one character at a time. It's also in first person.

* * *

"It will be slow, over the period of a few weeks." The shaman said as he stirred the potion.

"Why?" I asked him suspiciously. If it takes too long, then she'll go into chemotherapy before I have a chance to finish medicating her.

"This an old remedy that must be taken in doses. Too much results in an overpower of a mortal's system." The shaman went on, "Wouldn't want to risk that?"

"She isn't a mortal," I answered him. Damn! How could I admit that? "She's a whitelighter." I elaborated.

"She cannot be a whitelighter," The shaman said with a knowing look, "Whitelighters do not become ill. She is a witch, Yes?"

I succumbed to the truth, "Yes, she is a witch." I did not have the skills to deal with a demon. Chris was better with this than I could be. He had to be, because I made him.

"No matter. Almost all witches have a mortal side." The shaman chuckled, "You will give this to her once every three days for two weeks."

"How will I know when the illness is out of her system?" Two weeks seemed like a long time for a medicine created by magic to work and how would I even know if it worked? "How will I know that she is completely healed?"

"You cannot know," the Shaman answered, "You will have to run human tests for that."

"And how do I know I can trust what you are giving her?" I asked him. I was even more suspicious than before. What would happen if the potion didn't work? "How can I trust you?"

"Child," the Shaman mocked, "You have offered to protect the entire Underworld from the Charmed Ones; that is worth healing a weaker witch."

"Will she know she is taking the medicine?" I asked him. She can't know. If my sister knew that I promised the Charmed Ones would disappear from the Underworld, she would kill me.

"The taste can be easily masked," The shaman said put his hand over the potion. The Potion brewed upwards slightly, "And why wouldn't you tell the Witch?"

"She cannot know." I said firmly. Finally, I had gathered the courage to protect my family.

"You will have to come back for remaining doses." the Shaman said. I nodded before orbing out.

* * *

"You promised to help me recover." Emma complained to me, "But I haven't seen you since yesterday."

She was right, but I had been busy. By breaking this promise to her, I was keeping a more important one to Nicole. Carter looked so angry when I told Nicole that I'd make sure Emma was okay. I had been used to his moodiness, it had stemmed from his inability to use any power but orbing. It had been a month since then and he had developed the power to literally freeze things. It had been intriguing thought, when Chris told me I had been surprised.

"Sorry," I apologized to her, "I guess I'm just a lousy brother."

"You're a great brother," Emma said from her bed. She was wrapped under the covers. I fidgeted on the seat to find a more comfortable spot, "Just a lousy whitelighter."

I don't think she knew how much it hurt me every time she said that to me. So I'm a great brother and lousy whitelighter? The two are not mutually exclusive. If I'm a lousy whitelighter then it's because I'm not doing my job as a brother.

I guess the truth is that Emma was always the least sensitive of the three of us. One day I came home from my classes at university and she was going through the Book. She choose to go on a vanquishing quest. Only later did Mom explain to me that some boy had had hurt Emma's feelings. So, that's what happened. Instead of dealing with unpleasant emotions, Emma dealt with her problems through aggressive means. I would have told her to stop, but she was rather effective at keeping herself safe.

When I looked at Emma again, she wasn't speaking. She looked uncomfortable. I always feel bad when I invade people's minds but it does help sometimes.

'You shouldn't be so hard on him.' She was thinking to herself. I wonder who she is talking to.

'I'm not being hard on him. I always say that.' Emma argued back.

Is she talking to herself? Well, no, it's not exactly talking. It's more like hearing voices in your head, but it's still strange.

'world, Wyatt was a dictator.' Thanks for the reminder. As if I've forgotten it yet. What had she thought before that moment, I couldn't be sure of, 'You should be grateful. This version of Wyatt is a Saint compared to what I endured. He hates himself enough.'

It was her counterpart from that world. At least she believed in me, that meant so much to me. She could never imagine how much that meant.

'I love my brother,' I heard my version of Emma think, 'I guess I like to pick on him because it's how I compete with him and Chris. They're stronger than I am.'

So? Power was worthless without a cause. I only use my powers when I have to.  
Luckily, the alternate universe of Emma echoed these thoughts, 'So what? Wyatt has a lot of power. In this universe, he uses it for good. You hate his power, but I fear it. I don't what is worse being scared of someone so obviously good or knowing that knowledge of said fear would hurt him.'

What Chris had said of her was that Alternate Universe Emma had a bit of temper. He also said she was extremely protective and a bit too practical for her own good. Like my version of Emma, Chris said was extremely loving towards Matthew. I know that she is a bit rough around the edges, but I don't care. I feel like a part of me connects to her.

"Is it going to hurt?" Emma asked me in worried tone, "When I die?"

"You aren't going to die." I answered her back, "Medicine has developed a lot in the past fifty years. There is a high survival rate."

"Knowing my luck," Emma joked then looked at him, "Wyatt? Whats wrong?"

She is going to kill me. When she finds out that I promised the Shaman that the Charmed Ones won't interfere anymore. And then I'll try to reassure her, but she'll freak out. That is why I cannot let her know what I've done. That is why I cannot tell her that she will be okay.

"Nothing," I said with a wary smile, I orbed in a glass of orange juice, "Drink this. Vitamin C is good for your system."

"They think she has cancer and you're giving her Vitamin C?" came the critical voice of Alternate Emma.

It was too good to be true. I knew both versions didn't like me much. It was probably because they thought I was illogical, possibly an 'idealist'. Though my version of Emma is a lot meaner than the Alternate Universe version, she is a lot let less cynical.

"It can't hurt you, can it?" I asked her.

She frowned, "It can't hurt me," she corrected, "It can hurt her." It's a curious thought that she separates herself from my version of Emma. Are they that different?

* * *

"Dada" Matthew said as he pulled on my jeans.

As I sat next to him and helped him play with his toys, I watched in amazement at all the things he had done. He had organized his toys into groups that I couldn't quite understand.

I wonder if he knows how much I love him. I mean, I know that he loves his mother and I very much, but can really understand the concept of love? During my undergraduate education I was forced to take a class in Psychology and they spoke about three terms, "Id, Ego, and Super Ego".

If I had to take my family into account, I would put my Aunt Paige as the Ego, My Aunt Phoebe as the ID and My mother as the Super Ego. If I were taking my siblings and I into account, I would order it as such: Chris is and always will be the Super Ego, Emma is the ID and I am the Ego. Sometimes, I find that Emma becomes the Ego and I become the ID, but I've mostly outgrown that part of my life.

The ID is purely physical. All the things they do is for their own benefit or pleasure. They avoid anything that brings them pain and often live in chaos.

The Ego is the middle ground between the ID and the Super Ego. The Ego does good in the world, but only because they fear retaliation should they do bad things. They often use common sense when making decisions.

The Super Ego aims for perfection. The Super Ego is wise in that it makes choices based on spiritual or conscious moral beliefs. For religious individuals, it may be an attempt to emulate higher being.

"You okay, daddy?" Matthew asked me. I smiled back at him and he went on playing with his toys.

* * *

Alana came home around six in the evening, about an hour before I would be heading off the my next thirty hour shift. She told me about her day at work and how a poor boy had been trying to get adopted for a year, but no one wanted to take care of a disabled child. His mother had been a young woman who hadn't lived the most admirable lifestyle and had given her child fetal alcohol syndrome.

Many women have a glass of wine while they're pregnant. Not because they want to harm their child, but because they don't know they're pregnant yet or because they think that one glass won't hurt. The problem for medical researchers is that there is no exact number of glasses that can lead to lifelong problem. In Medical School they told us to tell all pregnant women not to risk it by laying off the liquor until after giving birth.

They told us a lot of things in Medical School, but when they told us we would have to work an eighty-hour work week for the next three years and possibly longer, I was alarmed. How does anyone manage to work eighty hours in a week? That is literally half of an entire week. Then I realized how someone works eighty hours a week.

They don't sleep.


	19. Alana

Author's Note: Haha, Klutz242, I think Wyatt is acting quite foolishly by giving up the Charmed Ones right to attack the Underworld. His reasoning is that family comes first, still, I don't think anyone will be too happy when they find out what he has done.

In case the timeline is confusing:

October 3rd, 2027 - Chris arrives in the future. He finds out Bianca is pregnant.  
October 4-9th - Chris spends time with his family and all the events between Chapter 4 and 10 occur.  
October 10th- Alana and Wyatt choose to try for another baby (and succeed rather quickly). Chapter Eleven's initial events occur.

Saturday, November 13th- Alana and Wyatt find out that they're pregnant. (The last part of chapter eleven)  
Friday, November 14th- They reveal to the family that Alana is pregnant. Emma and Chris choose to combine their bodies and minds with their Alternate Universe Counterparts. Emma runs off and hides on the Golden Gate Bridge. She pushes Rachel off.  
Monday, November 15th- Leo and Piper check on Emma, but cannot heal her wounds so they take her to the hospital. Chris begins his first day as a social worker. Wyatt is the resident that is assigned to Emma. Rachel recuperates from her trauma.

Tuesday, November 16th- Emma gets her bone marrow biopsy and Wyatt makes a deal with a demon shaman. Rachel goes back to school.

Wednesday, November 17th- Emma is recovering from her bone-marrow biopsy and Wyatt is helping her. Wyatt's personal chapter takes place in the day time time. Alana's takes place during nighttime.

* * *

Wyatt never understood why I had been so nervous to tell his family about our pregnancy. I'm only five weeks pregnant. Many pregnant women choose to withhold news of their pregnancy to those outside of their immediate circle because of the risks that occur in the first trimester.

I see it a lot, really. As a social worker, I deal directly with women at a higher risk of miscarriage. Many of the mothers I deal with are abused by their spouses or abuse themselves by using illegal substances or not taking care of their bodies.

Some women choose to get an abortion. I couldn't ever do that to my children, but I can understand why some women choose to; Many are scared of the physical effects pregnancies has on a woman's body, others are afraid that they cannot take care of a child or that their child may be in danger of abuse by another parent.

We work to support pregnant women by getting them medical care. Sometimes we place the women in a women's shelter, in hope that she will be safe. We hope that these women will overcome the damage inflicted on them, but some don't. Some go home to their cruel spouses. These spouses manipulate the women with the use of guilt or any other possible emotion they can twist.

I'm lucky. Wyatt is a wonderful husband. He loves me. He loves our son. Matthew means the world to Wyatt and I. I don't what would happen if he was ever harmed. Over the last ten years Wyatt has matured in more ways than I can count.

At fourteen I was told that I had to reveal myself to Chris and himself. I wanted so much to tell Chris. I wanted to tell him that his fears that I would would believe he was a freak were never going to be fulfilled.

I can't remember how I became a whitelighter. My memories are so fuzzy. The Elders had me conceived by two mortals that they selected to know about magic. My parents raised me well. They knew what awaited me and each day I saw their fear that I would be injured rise.

I know three things about the universe where my soul originated from: **The first is that Wyatt was an evil dictator that controlled all of San Francisco**. The second is that I had unwillingly given him an heir. _The last thing I am sure of is that Chris Halliwell, Wyatt's brother had saved me and my son from certain death and then had gone back in time to prevent Wyatt from becoming evil._ Chris' courage to protect his family left me forever admirable of his spirit. That faith eventually allowed the two of us to become close friends.

Chris is the only person from that world that I can remember. The Chris that I grew up with is similar to him, but they aren't the same. My best friend is much snarkier, but he is less willing to sacrifice others to reach his goals. His heart is huge. That is when he isn't making a smart remark. He's insecure at times, which is probably why he uses sarcasm so much. I couldn't ask for a greater friend. We balance each other out. Surprisingly, I bring common sense. He brings empathy. I always thought it was unfair that he couldn't express himself. He didn't want hurt people. He knew in the end it would hurt himself more than the individual themselves.

"How is my grandson?" Leo asked me with a warm smile.

"I don't know," I teased Matthew, "How are you?"

"Grappa" Matthew said happily, "Feet!" he said and pointed to his feet.

"He learned how to identify certain body parts yesterday at magic school," I said proudly, "He's been wanting to show you."

"Is that so?" Leo asked in an equally as proud voice, "What is this?" he asked Matthew as he pointed to his hands.

"Hand!" Matthew screamed happily, "Grappa hand!"

"That's right!" Leo said to him in a boisterous tone, "My grandson is a genius."

"So this is where Wyatt got his ego," I teased Leo, "You called him a genius every time he reached a milestone in his life."

Leo blushed sheepishly, "We were certainly proud of him. Sometimes too proud." He agreed.

Leo is a great father-in-law. Even more so, he is a great guide. When the Elders had me introduced to Leo at age eight, he was more than supportive. He taught me a lot about what whitelighters do. He also gave me a fair warning about Wyatt. Without his warning about Wyatt's somewhat egotistical behavior, I would have probably burst into tears the first time I tried to confess that I was his whitelighter. Leo's gentleness was first found in Chris and later it arose in Wyatt. Wyatt had just finished his second year of college when he proposed to me. I had just finished magic school. I don't know who's reaction was worse: Chris when he found out that Wyatt had proposed or my parents when they found out I had accepted.

My parents liked Wyatt... eventually. They remembered the emotional pain it had caused me to be rejected as his whitelighter. My parents were already upset enough that their daughter had been chosen to guard a bunch of witches, but when they found out that oldest witch treated their daughter badly, it didn't bode well. I was lucky that my mother had became friends with Piper when Chris and I were still young children, if not for that, my father would have lost his temper around Wyatt.

"Chris!" Matthew said happily and pointed to the ceiling.

A moment later Chris orbed into the living room, "That is creepy." I said to Leo.

"Wyatt could do it when he was Matthew's age," Leo explained, "He must have a strong tie to Chris, which makes sense."

Chris arched his brow, "What happened?"

"You decided you were so lazy that you were going to orb from your house to your parents? Even though you live next door?" I suggested to him.

Chris rolled his eyes, "Oh and you don't ever orb in the house." Chris said with a cocked eyebrow.

"I'm pregnant," I answered him sarcastically, "Walking could hurt the baby."

"Right," Chris replied back, "How is Emma?"

"She is bored," Leo answered, "She could use your company." he suggested in a not too subtle tone.

"Alright, I'll go talk to her." Chris said to Leo and then gave me a look, "I'll even walk there."

"Only because you don't have to walk any stairs." I said back dryly.

"By the way, where's Wy?" Chris asked me.

"Hospital. Another thirty hour shift." I answered him. Thirty hours is too many hours for a doctor to work. The idea of tired doctor doesn't particularly sound too comforting to me.

"Those shifts are going to kill him." Chris echoed as opened the door to Emma's room.

I doubted that the shifts would kill Wyatt. His sister dying of leukemia?

That very well could.


	20. Chris

Author's Note: Thanks for reading my story :)

The First Part is Present Chris and the Second Part is Chris from the evil future.

I watched Malice in Wonderland (season 8). Oh jeez, Phoebe's narration is ridiculous.

* * *

"What are you doing?" I asked with a smile as I sat on Emma's chair. I feel like it's been forever since I've seen my baby sister. I was trapped in that Alternate Universe for a solid month before finally coming home.

"I am watching some awful movie that was probably made before you were born." Emma answered me through mouthfuls of popcorn, "That girl with the curly brown hair and that kid with frizzy red hair are siblings that are supposedly spies. That guy with the blonde hair is flirting with the brunette so that he can get some magical device that turns off all electronics in the world."

Why would someone want to live in a world without electricity? Without electricity there is no means of instant communication. Without electricity there would be more wars. Without electricity life expectancy would be lower. With no medicine, essentially anyone without a sound immune system would be screwed.

"I can't believe she likes this guy," Emma rambled on, "He's so obviously not a good person."

Even when she's sick, Emma finds something to criticize. It's a habit of hers to criticize plot holes in movies. She picks apart character development. Anything that doesn't fit, she'll notice it.

It'd be hilarious, if it wasn't extremely annoying. A few months after Emma's birth, Mom took Wyatt and I to see a movie. Emma kept silent the entire time, proving when she had the will, Emma could quiet. We missed the last fifteen minutes because Emma choose that moment to release the waterworks. It may seem like an unfair accusation to blame a six month old baby, but I'm still sure it's true.

"You like doing that." I said to her with a laugh.

Emma arched her eyebrows, "I like doing what?" she asked me suspiciously.

Being mean to your angelic older brother? Well, no, not exactly. It's not your fault that we picked on you as a kid. We always told you to go away. Why? Because we didn't need a little sister to pester us.

Of course, when it came time for your turn to dislike us, we didn't allow it. We invaded every inch of your privacy. We never fully trusted you to make good decisions, even though you had better fighting judgment than Wyatt or I could ever hope to have.

"Criticizing movies. Maybe you could major in some cinematic field in college," I suggested to her, "Or literature or something like that."

"They wouldn't let me major in cinematography," Emma asserted, "They know I'd make fun of everything. Maybe literature, but what do I with a degree in literature?"

"You use it to become a film critic," I said in a decisive tone, "So you can continue to criticize twenty-five year old movies."

Emma laughed, "Am I that bad?"

"You're worse than you think." I answered her back, "You criticize every movie."

"That is not true," she said with a small smile, "Just all the bad ones."

Then you must be looking for all the bad movies, because there are few movies that you actually like. Then again, there was one film she liked... "What's that one movie you like, the one about the hooker CEO?"

"Hooked," Emma said with a grin, "That's the movie where a young hooker in New York City ends up shacking uo with some guy working in an economics company. She becomes pregnant by him, but has a literal back-alley abortion. Then twenty five years later she has become the CEO of the company her lover had introduced her to. She starts to see the face of the baby she aborted in every young woman..."

Emma kept going on about this movie. I never saw the movie, but it sounded just as cliche as any other movie out there. I don't feel comfortable with Hollywood trying to push its personal mores on the general public. For some reason, Emma is drawn to the story. Why? God only knows.

It doesn't matter. Emma looks so happy talking about the movie. It reminds me of her younger days, before some stupid kid broke her heart. For someone as strong as Emma is, it's curious that she still hasn't let go of what the kid did to her.

"Do you think I'm mean to Wyatt?" Emma asked me in a serious tone, "My Alter Ego thinks I'm too mean to him."

_Yes. _

Well, It's not all your fault. Wyatt has a lower emotion threshold than the rest of us. For some reason or the other, he's the "sensitive type". That's why Aunt Phoebe is favorite Aunt. Instead, the two of us prefer Aunt Paige.

"In your defense," I begin hesitantly, "We were mean to your first."

"So you do think I'm mean to him," she said ignoring the rest of what I had said, "I just don't know how to be nice to him."

"Maybe it's Karma from the other universe. Maybe your alter ego hates Wyatt because of what he did to her." I explained.

"I wish. She won't let me use that excuse. She thinks Wyatt is a Saint." Emma said in an annoyed tone. I could tell the two of them had had plenty of conversations on the topic.

"Compared to where she comes from, this version is a Saint." That's the truth. Wyatt is a pain in the ass, he rarely thinks things through and he's too emotional to work effectively, but he means well. I almost miss who he was as a teenager, a regular testosterone junkie.

No, not literally.

"Maybe I should go to her world so I can be justified in my cruelty to Wyatt," she choked out guiltily, "I deserve it."

And suddenly I could feel it again, more than anything else. Emma's guilt was clouding the atmosphere and it was suddenly clear to me; This was really bothering her. I had always suppressed my empathy power. I don't want to be an empath. How the hell do you have any emotions if everyone else's clouds your judgment.

"Look," I said in a softer tone than I knew I could speak in, "Wyatt wouldn't want you there. I certainly don't want you there. Don't talk like that." It was surprising how quiet I had said that sentence. That tone didn't accurately reflect how angry I was for her even thinking that. Maybe it was the Chris from that universe. He had a much stronger will than I did. He forced the next sentence out, "Tell me about what you're going to do when you finish magic school."

"You can't tell anyone." She answered hesitantly. Her cheeks tinged with red and I could feel her embarrassment.

"Fine" I responded. How bad could it be?

"I want to be a teacher." she said to me, "I like kids too much for my own good."

I laughed.

Wrong reaction. 

Emma's eyes narrowed, "I knew I shouldn't have told you!"

Is that a joke? Emma plays rogue cop better than nurturer. That's why she makes such a good witch. She has the guts to do what we won't.

'This is the part where you apologize.' Alternate Chris prodded me.

"Em?" I asked her, "I want to be there when the doctor reveals your results. Don't go without me."

She nodded at me and then turned her emotions off.

* * *

_Alternate Chris (also known as the Chris who fixed the future)_

_November 18th: 1:30 AM_

Mom had told me, "Nothing is perfect." She had warned me not to hold this universe in such a high regard that it ended up upsetting me.

The Elders had no right to refuse healing to Emma. After all the good the Charmed Ones had done, it was only right that they would save her. Bianca reminded me that Emma's results hadn't been confirmed yet and that anything was possible, but I knew that if Emma didn't have a serious problem, then the Elders would allow Wyatt's power to heal her. Alana then added that leukemia patients have a high survival rate now.

My birthday is tomorrow. My counterpart keeps asking me what I want. If he doesn't begin to consider us one being, then our minds will never assimilate and I refuse to be considered crazy.

In three weeks Bianca will be far enough along to find out the sex of our baby. Everyone has their theories on what sex the baby is.

There is one thing my counterpart and I agree upon: That we don't care if the baby is a boy or a girl, as long as they are healthy.

I guess I'm lucky in one way. The past allowed me to become more comfortable around children, though that isn't saying much. I'm still pretty bad with them. My counterpart is much better than I am. So in a world without tyranny, I could have been a social worker. Somehow, that isn't quite the calling I was going for.

Aunt Phoebe said that she can understand why I would be a good social worker. Well, no offense Aunt Phoebe, but you haven't seen me in twenty-three years. Your good judgment must be waring off with age.

If she could hear my thoughts, She'd probably kill me. Aunt Phoebe always had her vanity. I loved her, whether it was in the past at twenty-eight or now, at fifty-two, but she had never given up her physical being.

Aunt Paige on the other hand, has quite a hold on what she wants.

In this world she had three children, each four years apart.

Penelope, named for a great-grandmother that she will never resemble.

Physically, it was possible.

The two of them share flaming red hair, other than that, there isn't much in common.

Carter seems to take after his father, in that he is protective of others but feels weak compared to then. Mom had said that Henry was like that at times.

Little Nicole, I don't know much about her yet.

They seem like intriguing individuals, but I never got to know them. They didn't exist in my time.

In 2009, Aunt Phoebe gave birth to twins: Rachel and Jacob.

Three years following, she gave birth to another child.

I never got to know my cousin Michael. He was stillborn.

This damaged Aunt Phoebe so greatly that she never wanted children again.

Though, in four years time, she became pregnant one last time.

Katie was a small miracle to Aunt Phoebe, who died two years later with my mother and Aunt Paige.

If my world and this world were in sync, Katie would be ten years old.

Instead, here, Katie is three years old.

This world does have its benefits; Katie has already outlived her counterpart by over a year.

By the time Rachel was twelve she had died passionately while trying to exact revenge on Wyatt for letting her sister die.

Jacob, with less will than Rachel ever had, tried the same and died two years later.

They were far from the pranksters that had evolved out of this healthy timeline.

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

The wind kept blowing and suddenly I remembered where I was.

_Golden Gate Bridge_

"Rachel?" I called through the wind, "What are you doing here?"

"I came here to think." she answered as she inched closer to me.

"Stay there!" I yelled back in alarm, "I'll come to you."

I took a breath of air and orbed over to her. She looked terrified, but she didn't feel terrified.

She felt self-confident, "I'm scared, but I've never been so confident." she explained as if reading every thought as I conceived it.

"Telepathy is a cool power," she laughed nervously, "Penny's nosiness has helped my power to develop."

Telepathy. Just what my family needs. Another person who can be unnecessarily nosy.

"Hey!" she shot at me, "It's not my fault that Wyatt invades your privacy. I don't plan to use my powers like that. I know what it's like to have a nosy sibling."

Really. You don't plan to use your power to snoop?

Because that seems likes something you and your brother would do.

'Tricksters' is what Aunt Paige called the two of you.

And when you get irritated in ten seconds, my theory will proven correct.

"I came up here to face my fears." Rachel explained to me, "My dad helped me realize that I'm not afraid of heights."

No? Didn't you go into a semi-coma two days ago? What was that?

"I'm afraid of falling," she elaborated for me, before giving me a dirty look, "You're bitter."

She was right.

"Sorry," I apologized to her, "Bianca is mad at me."

"Why?" she asked me, suddenly intrigued.

I knew you would use your powers to snoop.

You are your mother's daughter.

"I told her that I didn't want her to be an active officer for the rest of her pregnancy."

"Being a cop is important to Bianca, Chris." Rachel explained to me, "She's wanted by to be an officer since she graduated from magic school."

"And she's doing it," I argued back, "But now she needs to stop being selfish and think of our baby."

Rachel laughed, "You would think after spending over a year with three women in their twenties, that you would be better with them."

Helpful.

"Being a cop isn't as dangerous as you would think." she sat down and looked at the cars below us, I could feel her become stressed out.

I needed her to calm down, "Yeah? Enlighten me."

"They can assign her to a different beat. They can have her write tickets to speeders or do things that are less threatening." Rachel explained to me, "I think as long as Bianca is still out on duty, that she'll feel better. When have you known Bianca to let others tell her what to do?"

**Never. **

I mean it too.

Rachel's nerves seemed to lessen, "Exactly" she said with a smirk.

"Hey!" I laughed, "You read my mind again."

"I can't control it completely," Rachel went on, then added, "Hey Chris, I'm sorry about Emma's ailment."

"I'm scared," I finally admitted, "I don't want her to die."

"I know," she whispered, "I don't want her to die either. You never think things like this can happen to you and when it does..."

"I just got here. I've barely gotten to know my sister. I want to know who she could have been in a world where people weren't terrorized and now..." I choked out unwillingly, "Now it's like death has followed her from one world to another and has become inescapable."

"She's strong, Chris," Rachel said in a warmer tone than I knew she could use, "She won't give up without a fight. And if they think they can take her from us, they've got another thing coming."

Truer words couldn't have been spoken.

If the World thinks it can take Emma from us,

it's dead wrong.


	21. Rachel

Author's Note: Thanks for reading my story :) This entire chapter takes place on November 18th.

* * *

'Where did you go?' Jacob asked me telepathically when I got home.

How did he even know I left? Maybe Chris is right. Telepathy can be a pain for others.

'I didn't go far', I answered him back, then added, 'Why are you still up?'

'Just wanted to make sure that demons hadn't kidnaped you' He answered me with a smile.

_Liar. _

Jacob knows I would have no problem making a commotion if a demon was after me.

Jacob took the silence to mean I had not accepted his answer, 'Fine' he admitted, 'I tried to talk to you earlier and I got no response.'

'And how do you know I wasn't sleeping?'

'Because then I would have definitely gotten a response. An angry one.' He joked back with me.

'That's right. Go to sleep, Jake.' I sighed and closed my eyes.

* * *

"Morning!" Jacob and I said cheerfully as we woke everyone up.

Chris' eyes narrowed and he thought to himself 'GO AWAY'. He looked at me with a dirty glare.

That bad? Still? Alright, Alright. We are not wanted here.

"Let's go, Jake" I said and pulled him away. Two of us faded home.

_______________

By lunch hour, I had been in a daze. It was strange without Emma making remarks on my personal morals. or my study habits. or my friends.

Perched in love seat in the corner of the library was Leslie. I don't know much about her, outside of the fact that she is Emma's best friend.

Involuntarily, my body faded right in front of her, "Is something wrong with Emma?" she asked me, suddenly concerned, "I talked to her this morning before school, but..."

"No," I said to her, "I guess I just wanted to talk to you."

'You want to talk to me? About what?' She thought to herself with a snort, 'I bet you don't even know my name'

Jeez. Tell me how you really feel. Instead, Leslie feigned a smile, "Sure, what's up?"

Emma never did seem to like the insincere. Then again, this girl seems to be less able to say what she means. "What's your power?" I asked her curiously.

"I don't have a power." She answered curtly, though I could see this was not true, 'At least not one I want to share with you.' she thought to herself.

Is everyone bitter?

I mean it. Is our entire world full of insincerity?

"You have to have a power," I rolled my eyes, "You're in magic school, Leslie."

She sighed, suddenly less insincere though no more pleasant than before, "I can control what emotion a person feels."

That would be an amazing power to hold. You could use it to get your way with your parents or with teachers. You could get so much with that power.

"It's not as great as you think." she answered me.

"So, what? You're a telepath too?" I felt myself become annoyed.

"Your face literally reads like a novel. You don't exactly hide your emotions too well." she laughed at my displeasure.

I smirked once more, "Do you use it to pick up boys?" I asked in an excited tone.

"Do I look like I use it to pick up boys?" she answered me back. My smile vanished, then she added, "I barely use it at all. When I get close enough, I use it on demons during a vanquish."

"That's no fun." I mumbled unhappily, "You're in advanced classes, I thought you were strong."

"Advanced classes are for smart students, not necessarily strong students," she explained to me, then thought to herself, 'That's why I'm in them and you're not'

Hey! Just because I like to have fun does not mean I'm not smart.

It means that there is more to me than my academic record.

I have character.

"Your family is full of horror stories involving personal gain. Emma's mom has drilled that into my head enough times for me never to want to use my power for personal gain." She explained.

Aunt Piper is such a downer. She is a great cook, but she never has any fun with magic. Neither do any of her kids. They're all so straight-laced.

Aunt Paige's kids are so much worse.

"Besides, free will is what makes life meaningful. If I control how people feel, then I'm not experiencing life the way I should." she went on.

Dude, You have magical powers and you want a normal life?

Who thought a friend of Emma's could be so plain?

"So then what do you do?" I asked her.

"That's easy," she answered me, "I help Emma vanquish demons. Lots of them."

"You don't seem to be the type to go risking your life." I said, looking at her and her pile of books.

"You mean that I don't seem like Emma." she deciphered, "You're right. I do research." she pointed to the book, "Then I kick ass." she smiled as a small ball of electricity appeared in the palm of her hand.

"So you do have an active power," I said, suddenly enthusiastic, "I knew you had to!"

"You can't fight demons without one."

* * *

You can fight your inner demons without powers.

Maybe.

I don't know.

I've never been without my powers,

they've become an essential part of my identity.

My baby brother always said I was insensitive. He always told me that I got lost in the details.

He said if I could learn to empathize with others, then they wouldn't be so estranged from me.

I have plenty of friends. Outside of my twin brother Jacob, Kaylee is the closest.

She isn't like Leslie. She doesn't get jealous of the power we hold as the children of Charmed Ones.

Kaylee always insisted it was because she didn't want the responsibility.

I told her there wasn't that much responsibility, but she always gave me a doubtful look.

Emma, Jacob and I were nine when we began magic school. Thanks to Chris, we were finally allowed to attend magic school. If Chris hadn't of had a falling out with Alana, then we would have been stuck in the mortal school system and our powers wouldn't have developed this fast. In six grade I gained the ability to become invisible. Quiet a useful power. Too bad it only works when I'm trying to hide from Katie. My mother is an empath. My father is Cupid, with God knows how many powers. Jacob is telepathically linked to me. Michael is an empath.

In tenth grade I learned that I could create fireballs. Before learning of these two powers, the only things I could do was fade (my mode of transportation) and to levitate.

Jacob and I used to be pranksters. We used to be good at it too.

Jacob gained the ability to conjure in 8th grade. Before learning to conjure, he had no abilities outside of fading and levitation. I used to think conjuring would be a useless ability, but Jacob knows how to think on his feet. He began using his conjuring ability to create weapons to destroy demons with. Usually athames.

Jacob enjoys conjuring himself food. If Jacob was a bit more ambitious, he'd conjure himself some cash.

"Are you going to go out with the group tonight?" Jacob asked as he bit into a cupcake.

"I promised to watch Katie."

"Why?" Jacob said with a snort, "You hate babysitting."

"Mom begged me." I sighed.

Mom loved to manipulate each of us into doing things for her.

"Usually that doesn't work." Jacob looked at me, then added seriously, "Okay, what is going on?"

"Penny helped me develop my power." I answered him.

"Penny was useful?" he asked and then added with the excitement I should have been feeling, "Which one?"

"Telepathy." I said to him.

"So you can read minds now?" He feigned a frown, "I don't think I like that." he laughed.

"Leslie and I had a conversation-" I began, before her interrupted.

"Leslie Olson?" He asked me, as if the thought of speaking to her was not possible.

"And she was fine, while we were talking, but her thoughts were so nasty."

"Leslie Olson is just jealous of your power. Leslie is jealous of everyone's power. I wouldn't dare to give her thoughts a passing consideration." He said in a protective tone.

"Emma is her friend for a reason." I reasoned back.

"Yeah, because she is just as bitter as Leslie." Jake shot back, "Man, I cannot believe you're letting that little enchanter get to you." then he added thoughtfully a moment later, "I bet she did this to you. She enchanted you to feel depressed."

"Well, if so, it's working."

"It doesn't matter what she thinks," Jacob went on, "We're the ones who are going to be sacrificing our lives for the next fifty years. We're the power that is going to protect most of San Francisco from demise, she's not."

"She helps Emma now though."

"And you think in fifteen years, when she has a kid, that she's still going to be sacrificing her time." Jacob asked me, "No. It's going to be us. It's always going to the Halliwells."

________________

Emma could die.

She could live.

We could become friends.

We could remain mere relatives.

But, I need to stop feeling guilty.

I need to get Chris out of this rut.

and Wyatt.

because they have the power needed to protect others.

And that is what is important.

Instead of focusing on crazy plans to heal Emma,

why don't we let medicine do that for us?

I mean,

it hasn't been confirmed yet.

'I can hear mom on the phone.' Jacob said telepathically to me.

So?

'Emma has leukemia.' He answered my question.

I still say we let medicine do its job.


	22. Jacob

Author's Note: Thanks for reading my story :) This chapter takes place on November 19th.

* * *

They say to fight for what you believe.

To never let others get in the way of your dreams.

It's kind of cliche.

I graduate from magic school in May.

Then I have to either get a job or enroll in college.

There is no contest really.

I'm going to sign up for a university.

But which university?

Which city?

What field do I want to study?

These are things I should have been pondering two years ago.

Not on November 19th:

Six months before I finish school.

Not in the middle of a class on...

What class am I even in?

"Brianna Wentworth then went onto..." the teacher said aloud.

Oh yeah.

Modern Magic.

I've always wanted to take a class based on the history of my own family.

It doesn't make me look like an egotistical ass to already know all of this.

'No, but it makes you look stupid to not answer a question when the professor asks you.' Rachel joked telepathically to me.

What?

"Mr. Halliwell, do I need to repeat myself?" Professor Mack asked me.

"Sorry" I said distractedly.

"What happened to Beatrice Warren?" Professor asked me.

"She only had one leg. Zorlaf, a demon she fought two hundred years ago, cut it off during combat." I answered.

Professor Mack didn't appreciate that I knew the answer, but went back to teaching.

The only reason I know about Beatrice Warren is because Mom used to tease us, saying if we used magic in an inappropriate way, that our legs would be cut off too.

That's a comforting story to share with two seven year olds.

Thanks Mom.

'Cheer up, It's Friday.' Rachel offered me.

'That is true,' I thought back, 'I cannot wait to get out of here for the weekend. I need to go to a movie.'

'Or a party?'

'You heard of one?' I asked.

I'm surprised Rachel knows something like this so early in the day.

'Shannon Cross is having one. She invited me, but not before telling me that she couldn't believe that we are still home schooled.'

'I haven't seen Shannon in years,' I responded, 'What's she look like?

'She's got the same blonde hair as when we were kids. You'll see her at the party, she'll be rambling on about how she is going to University of San Francisco'

'Is that hard to get into?'

'Harder than San Francisco State, I think. Wyatt would know. Chris would know. Alana would know. I don't know.' she answered me.

I laughed, which earned me a glare from Professor Mack.

'Hey, when are you going to apply to college?' I asked her.

'I'm already in the process. I just need to submit my essay.' She answered.

Already in the process?

When did I fall so behind?

What have I been doing the last three months?

Partying.

Pranking.

_Putting my future in danger._

'You have until January 15th to apply to University of San Francisco. Get on the ball, bro.' A knowing smile formed on her face.

________________

"What are you doing?" Emma asked as I went through the Book of Shadows.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I answered her as I wrote the final sentence on a piece of paper.

"What's your damage?" she asked me, "I haven't been around you in a week, so whatever it is, it can't be my fault."

"You pushed Rachel off a bridge." I offered her as I kept going through the book.

"I already apologized to her," Emma said in a defensive tone, "Do I have to apologize to you too? Because, I didn't know twins shared everything."

I gave her a dirty look, "No." I said, I wanted to go on, but kept my mouth shut.

"What is the deal, Jacob?" Emma asked, her impatience emerging.

"Your friend made Rachel feel like shit." I answered, "She basically called Rachel stupid."

"I don't control my friends. Just like I assume that you two don't control Chad." Emma said with a hasty glare, "So cut out the crap."

"Cancer has made you grumpy." I said, before realizing I was speaking aloud.

I could have said that twenty-four hours ago and it wouldn't have been nearly as insensitive,

but now that it was true... I had said a horrible thing.

"No," she answered me back hostilely, "Being blamed for things I haven't done makes me grumpy."

"So when is your first chemotherapy appointment?" I asked, a bit distracted by what I was reading.

"I don't know yet. Probably in a week or two."

"That fast?"

"I was surprised too," then she said "The quicker the better, I figure."

"Yeah," I agreed, "Then Wyatt can get his head out of the clouds."

"What do you mean?" she asked me suddenly.

How couldn't she know? "Your mom told my mom that Wyatt's wife said that he's been disappearing a lot lately and that she doesn't know where he goes."

"Wyatt's a whitelighter."

So what? His family is his only charge.

"He's not just your whitelighter though," I argued back, "He's Rachel's whitelighter, He's Michael's whitelighter and he is also my whitelighter. It's bad enough that he works eighty hours a week, but now he's disappearing when he's home."

"Fine, I'll talk to him," she gave me a look, "By the way, what are you even doing here?"

"I'm going through the Book." I said as I pointed at it, "It's not just your book. It belongs to everyone in the family."

"But it stays here."

"Yes. Because you live in the Manor. That is the book's home. It doesn't make it any less mine and any more your's."

"Chill out, Jacob," she snapped at me, "I just came here to keep your company."

Nice try.

You came here to keep the Book company.

You don't care about me.

"Okay," she said finally, "This is tense. So I'm going back downstairs, so that I can get ready. Tonight is Chris' birthday dinner and I would like to enjoy time with my entire family. No Chris at the Social Work agency and No Wyatt at the hospital."

"Wyatt's home?"

"No." she answered me, "Wyatt is out buying Chris his birthday gift."

"Right," I responded, "I'll see you later."

"Wait," she said and pulled me out mid-fade, "What were looking for in the Book?"

Emma is the last person I wanted to catch me doing this.

I figure it's better to tell her than for her to chase me down.

I handed her a piece of scrap paper from my jacket.

She read it, "Why would you want to get rid of your powers?" she asked me as she handed the scrap back to me.

"Because if I ever want to live a semblance of a normal life, I will have to do it without my powers."

"You can live a normal life with powers," she said to me, as if giving up her powers was the worst thing that could happen, "It's not that bad."

"This morning I woke up late and forgot to take my textbooks to school, so I had to fade home and get them. At lunch, I forgot to bring money or food, so I had to conjure myself a meal. Then I left my phone at home and had to contact Rachel telepathically to ask her about our plans. I have become so dependent on my powers that I am never going to be an effective human being."

"My advice is you get a day planner." she said lightly.

"You'll find yourself in the same position when you grow up." I explained to her.

She really thinks that a witch can live in a mortal world without living by mortal rules? She obviously was never taught the idiom: When in Rome do as the Romans do.

"What the hell does that mean?" she shot back at me angrily.

"Children, calm down." a voice said to us. Emma and I turned.

"Who is that?" Emma asked me.

Like I would know? When have I known the Book to summon spirits?

"It's only been twenty-five years since my death. Thanks for mentioning me, guys!" the figured shouted towards the ground, "I'm your Aunt Prue."

"You're thirty." Emma said in a disbelieving tone, "You don't look old enough to be our Aunt."

She's dead.

Important facts never seem to be absorbed by Emma.

"Sweetheart, I'm dead," Prue said to her, "Anyways, I'm here to stop you two from fighting." She looked at Emma, "Your intensity is not going to do you any good, Emma. Trust me, I was just like you when I was alive."

Told you.

"However," her eyes glanced at me, "While you don't really act like Piper, you both share a desire for a normal life. Unfortunately, Piper learned out that it's nearly impossible to live in a world without interference."

"Which is why I want to give up my powers."

"Look Jacob, it's your choice. It will always be your choice, but your mom and my other sisters all lost their powers multiple times and they could have said 'The hell with it, I give up', but instead they went after their powers because they know they can help people with them."

"No offense Aunt Prue," I said in the most determined voice, "but you died because of your powers. I don't want my family to die because of my powers."

"I died trying to protect an innocent. I will never regret that." Prue answered me back.

"But it's still my choice." I asked her.

"Of course. It will always be your choice, but maybe before you make your decision you should talk to your mother and aunts." Prue suggested with a smile.

She gave Emma a hug.

"I admire your spirit, Emma." then whispered in a softer tone, "But maybe you should tone it down just a little."

then she looked at me, "And Jacob, you seem to have your feet on the ground."

"I hope so" I answered her.

"But the both of you need to work on your college applications." she said haughtily as she disappeared.

"That was weird." Emma said to me.

"Too weird."


	23. Emma

Author's Note: Thanks for reading my story :) This chapter also takes place on November 19th.

I'm going to try and keep up with this story as much as possible, but university begins again on Monday. (Which is depressing, because I have to go back to my dorm room)

* * *

Tonight is Chris' birthday.

He's going to be twenty-three.

I got my Chris a voucher for two concert tickets.

I got Chris from the other world something a little more substantial:

A voucher for two round trip plane tickets.

I saved enough money from my summer job to add music to my E-drop

and now it was time to spend money on someone else.

I can hear Alternate Emma's constant ringing.

'What is it?' I asked her.

'I'm just not used to seeing my body in a dress.' She explained to me.

'Neither am I,' I admitted, 'I don't normally wear them.'

'You look nice.' She complimented, 'Your hair is really pretty.'

'The last time I wore this I was in my freshman level of magic school,' I stared at myself in the mirror, 'I probably wouldn't fit in this dress if I hadn't lost so much weight due to...'

She took control of my body and touched my thigh, 'What are you doing?' I asked her suddenly.

'You don't have a lot of the wounds I had.' she answered me back, 'It's weird. I look in the mirror and see my face, my eyes, and even my freckles, but then I remember it's not my body.'

I smiled, 'It is your body, sista. Leukemia and all!'

Is it weird?

I mean, I've known her for two years.

She's me, but from another world.

But, sometimes she's like the friend I've never had before.

I love Leslie to death,

but she is too serious

She doesn't know how to have fun.

Alternate Emma makes smart remarks,

she even makes fun of movies with me.

If Alternate Emma and I's minds don't assimilate,

then I'll probably be considered by crazy.

That won't be good.

Who's knocking on my door?

"Come in!" I called out.

The door opened and mom smiles at me, "You look beautiful."

"Thanks," I answered back appreciatively, "But after tonight, I don't plan on wearing a dress for another ten years."

Mom laughed gracefully, "What about graduation?"

"We'll see." I said in a coy tone.

"He's here," Mom said back, gesturing outwards, "So if you could hurry it up, just a bit."

"I'm ready!" I said, then gave Mom a look, "Not that you're too patient."

"Sorry," Chris said from the doorframe, as he looked outside, "That'd be me."

"Happy Birthday!" I said to him, "You're old now."

He looked back, "I'm not that old," he argued back, "I'm-" he looked at me for a minute, "You're wearing a dress."

Yes?...

"Do you do that often?" He asked me, "I'm not used to seeing you in a dress...or her."

"Neither is she, and no, I'm not exactly a fan of dresses."

Mom snorted, "That's putting it lightly. I went through tough labor with two sons and finally I get a beautiful baby girl and she hates shopping."

"I don't hate shopping." I shot back.

"No?" Mom asked in a disbelieving tone.

"I hate shopping for clothing," I elaborated, "I love shopping for music and books."

Chris laughed.

Laughter is good.

It means that my version has stopped getting under his skin...

so to speak.

"Give me a sec," I said as I went into my closet and pulled out two separate gifts, "Here" I said with a smile.

"To the Worry-Wart" he read off one of gifts, then read the other, "To the one who won't ever shut up." He chuckled, "You've got good judgment."

That's right.

_________________

Mom had cooked a spectacular dinner. The meal wasn't bad, though it wasn't my favorite. I don't even think it was Chris' favorite.

'It's my brother's favorite,' Alternate Emma answered my thought, 'It's so good!'

I'm glad she's happy. She deserves it.

Stupid Jake. I can't get what he said about Wyatt out of my head.

"Sweet Pea, are you okay?"

Sweet Pea?... I felt myself blink.

"I'm fine, Grandpa." I said to him.

"How's school?" He asked as he took a bite of the meal, "Are you going to apply for college?"

I involuntarily gave Chris a dirty look, which he returned a bewildered expression.

"University of San Francisco offers a 5 year degree bachelor and master in education program." Wyatt offered me.

CHRIS!

I shot Chris another dirty look. He sighed, "I didn't tell. Promise."

"He didn't." Wyatt said, suddenly apologetic, as if to prevent a horrible war.

"Wyatt, you shouldn't read your little sister's mind." Grandpa lectured.

Wyatt read my mind?

What the hell!

"Does anyone need refills?" Dad asked, trying to break the tension.

"I've got it, Dad" Wyatt offered.

Wyatt grabbed our glasses and walked into the kitchen.

"In two weeks, we're going to have an ultrasound to find out the sex of our baby." Bianca said excitedly to Alana. Chris and Dad were conversing about something else, while Mom and Grandpa went on about the meal she had made.

"Bet it's a girl." I said suddenly.

All eyes narrowed in on me.

Shoot! Did I just say that out loud?

"What makes you say that?" Alana asked me curiously.

_Your son from the future told me so? _

"Just a good guess?" I offered her, somewhat nervously.

"In a few months we can go shopping for the baby," Bianca said back to Alana, "and then it'll be time for Baby Showers..."

Mom interrupted her conversation with Grandpa to talk about babies with Alana and Bianca.

If I hear the word "baby" one more time, I'm going to lose it.

It's all my family talks about.

Get a hobby, People!

"I'm going to help Wyatt with the drinks." I offered as they continued to converse.

Only Dad and Grandpa noticed me leave for the kitchen.

Wyatt was pouring soda into my glass, water into the glasses of the pregnant duo and wine into the remaining adults glasses. Then he poured something into my glass.

"What is that?" I asked him curiously.

He turned to me in surprise, then answered evasively, "Nothing."

"What do you mean 'nothing'? Wyatt, I just saw your pour something into my glass from that flask." I shot back impatiently.

"It's nothing. Maybe it's your leukemia acting up." He answered me.

"I've only had leukemia for four days!" I shouted angrier than I knew I was possible.

Was everything I said going to be discredited just because of my illness?

"You've only known you've had leukemia for four days," He corrected, "You could have had it for awhile."

"Wyatt," I seethed icily, "What did you put in my drink?"

"A drink to cure your leukemia." He admitted defeatedly.

"What drink to cure leukemia?" I demanded, "There is no potion to cure leukemia; It's a mortal illness!"

"Not in the Book," he added slowly, "I got it from the Underworld."

"You worked with demons?" I shot furiously, "I spend every moment I can fighting against them. How could you work with demons?"

"I had to, to save you." He explained to me.

"No, you didn't." I added in deadlier tone, "I'm not drinking that." I decided.

"You have to." He said to me desperately.

"No," I corrected him, "I don't."

"You don't know what I had to give up to get that potion." He shouted back.

"No, I don't, but I'm betting it's nothing good."

"I had to promise the demons that the Charmed Ones would never enter the Underworld again."

HE WHAT?!

I stood there frozen, experiencing what I can only label as an out-of-body experience.

And then I lunged at him, unable to control myself.

I don't know when Chris arrived. It could have been thirty seconds later or ten minutes later, but he tried to separate Wyatt and myself.

"Calm down!" Chris shouted in a panicked tone, "Guys! Stop!"

"You don't know what he did!" I could hear myself shout as I attempted to lunge at Wyatt again.

I attempted to blow up the glass, to which Wyatt intercepted by pushing me back with his telekinesis. "Stop!" Chris kept shouting, "Don't you two know that I came from a universe where the two of you literally spent your days trying to kill each other?"

"You're being selfish, Emma!" Wyatt snapped at me, "I'm trying to help-"

"Yourself!" I shouted back angrily, "It's always about you, Wyatt! It doesn't matter which world!"

"You think I'm evil?" He demanded with a furious glint in his eyes.

"STOP!" Chris shouted, seconds later an energy burst out of his hands, shooting Wyatt and I into opposite walls.

* * *

"I hurt them!" Chris rattled on guiltily, "I didn't even mean it."

I wanted to open to my eyes, but couldn't muster the will to do so.

"Are you going to heal them?" I could hear Grandfather ask.

"We can't heal, Emma, the leukemia won't let us." Dad answered him.

"And I think I'm too angry at Wyatt to heal him," Alana snapped angrily, "How dare he do such a thing."

"It's not really that bad," Mom reasoned back, "We never go into the Underworld anymore, anyways."

It is that bad, Mom.

We need you in case of emergency and now we don't have that same security.

"Piper," Alana addressed Mom, "It doesn't matter if you go into the Underworld anymore, the point is that you can't anymore. If you do, it'll be open field on the entire family, maybe the entire city. Matthew won't be safe. Katie and Nicole won't be safe either. They aren't powerful enough to defend themselves."

"So what do we do?" Dad asked.

"Right now, I'm more worried about whether the two of them are going to be okay." Chris answered nervously, "I didnt' know I could even do that. How long have I been able to do that?"

"We didn't know you could do it either," Mom answered, "Your power must be growing."

"I haven't ever seen your power like that either, Chris." Bianca agreed.

They kept conversing, until minutes later when Alana responded, "I'm going to put Wyatt in bed." then she added, "I need to check up on Matthew, but then I'll be back." I could hear orbs.

"I'm going to put Emma in her bed too," Dad said a moment later, "Be right back."

I'm sorry, Chris... I wanted to say,

but I couldn't open my mouth to speak such words.

I only hoped he could feel that I had never meant to ruin his birthday.

* * *

My eyes fluttered weakly in the morning.

What happened?

'Chris threw us telekinetically into a wall.' Alternate Emma answered, 'Not that we didn't deserve it.'

'You're going to lecture me this early in the morning?' I asked her annoyed.

'You assumed a role that didn't belong to you. You told Wyatt that I thought he was evil.' she said impatiently.

'So what?'

'This isn't a joke, Emma!' she shot furiously, 'Wyatt was only trying to heal your leukemia.'

**That was the final straw.**

'IT IS NOT JUST MY LEUKEMIA. IT'S YOURS TOO. WE SHARE A BODY. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?'I asked her in the angriest tone I could, 'Stop trying to separate us. We are not that different.'

"You're quite conflicted."

I sat up immediately, "Michael, what the hell are you doing here?" I demanded impatiently.

"Wyatt sent me." He answered simply.

"Well, you can tell Wyatt to go to Hell." I answered him simply.

"You want to talk about it," Michael said in a calm tone, "You want to forgive, Wyatt."

No, I don't.

"He's your brother. You want to make up with him." Michael repeated in the same cool tone.

"I want to make up with him?" I asked Michael.

Okay, so maybe I want to make up with him.

"Yes, you want to make up with him, more than anything." Michael said once again, then added in a more emotive voice, "He was just trying to help."

"That's right," I agreed, "He was just trying to help."

"Good," Michael said with a smile, "Have a good day."

"You too" I smiled back.


	24. Michael

Author's Note: Thanks for reading my story :) This chapter takes place on November 20th

I'm going to try and keep up with this story as much as possible, but classes begin again tomorrow. I am officially back in my dorm room... still roommate-less.

* * *

"Did it work?" Wyatt asked as soon as I faded back into my room.

Why don't you go home and check yourself?

"Because if I didn't work, I don't want to have to deal with her screaming." He answered me.

That is annoying.

If you hadn't threatened to expose my power of persuasion,

I would never have done this.

"It worked," I answered him, "I don't normally agree with Emma, but she's right. You've put our entire family at risk."

"It's worth it if Emma's okay." Wyatt answered me.

You're such a selfish human being.

Stop thinking about yourself.

It doesn't help your cause that I can literally feel your self-righteousness.

"What about my sister?" I asked him.

"What about Rachel?" He asked me, suddenly confused.

"Not Rachel," I answered him, while trying to repress my irritation, "Katie. She's three years old. She can't defend herself like you can, Wyatt. We're not all the Twice-Blessed."

"She has your mom, your dad, the twins and yourself to protect her." Wyatt responded, as if it was an easy question, "Relax."

"Relax?" I asked him, my irritation seeping through, "That's all I ever do, Wyatt. I relax. Want to know why? Because I feel what everyone else feels. I don't feel my own emotions. Right now, I am not relaxed."

"You agreed to help," Wyatt replied to me in defensive tone, "I didn't know you'd get angry."

"Because you manipulated me. You threatened to expose my power to my family. Something they can't know about." I ranted, "This power has personal gain written all over it. I don't use it, but with a simple power switching spell one of my family members can take it out for a test drive."

"It's for the best," Wyatt said firmly, "I can't allow her to die."

This again?

Holy sh--

SHE IS NOT GOING TO DIE.

That was an unpleasant experience.

"You don't know that." Wyatt answered my thought.

I'm going to lose it.

"That's it." I said to Wyatt before giving him a nasty look. I faded out of sight.

As soon as I reappeared in the Attic of the Manor, Wyatt had already followed me.

I skimmed through the book roughly, before finding what I was looking for.

"What are you doing?" Wyatt asked me in a more distant tone than before.

"Binding my powers." I answered him, as I grabbed an abandoned notebook and began to write ingredients to the potion.

"What? Why!" He asked me.

"Because I am not going to let you manipulate me into using my powers for your personal gain," I answered him, "You're my whitelighter. You are supposed to help me, not manipulate me."

"You don't have to do that" Wyatt said desperately.

"Yes, I do." I answered him impatiently, "You're supposed to be some kind of role model to me, Jacob and Carter. Instead, you act like an oversized toddler and I'm tired of it."

That wounded his feelings.

Normally I would have felt guilty,

but this has gotten old too fast.

"I'm sorry," he said to me, I tried to sense whether he was being sincere, "Can't you tell?"

"Don't threaten me again," I answered him and left the notebook where it had been originally, "I'm not like Emma or Jacob, I don't like to fight back, but I will learn how."

I left him with those parting words.

_______________

No one will stop talking about Emma.

I get it. She has leukemia.

I'm sorry about that, but my world does not revolve around Emma.

Why can't we just let medicine heal her?

It's not that horrible of a thought to rely on the mortal world,

God knows how many times it's relied on us.

Now that Wyatt promised the Underworld that the Charmed Ones wouldn't interfere,

we are all at risk. Our parents rarely go into the Underworld,

but there is always a chance that we need them.

Now, we don't even have that option.

"UGH!" I grumbled.

"Are you okay?" Penny asked me as she orbed into the room.

Thank God.

"Wyatt-" I began.

"So, Carter is not the only who is mad at Wyatt." Penny stated.

"Why is Carter mad at Wyatt?" I asked, suddenly more curious about Carter's anger than my own.

"Wyatt promised Nikki that Emma would be okay." Penny said wryly.

"He can't promise that." I responded back quickly, "I mean, more likely than not, she'll be okay, but Wyatt can't promise that."

or maybe?...

"Carter agrees, that's why he's mad at Wyatt." Penny explained, "But why are you mad at him?"

"He got a demon to create a potion to get rid of Emma's illness, but then promised the demon that the Charmed Ones would never enter the Underworld Again."

Penny's eyes flamed for a moment, before she calmed down, "So Wyatt thought he could put all of us at risk?"

"Of course, in a Wyatt-fashion, he didn't think the plan through and Emma discovered what he had done," I sighed tiredly, "Then he forced me to manipulate Emma's feelings so that she would stop being mad at him."

"Did it work?" Penny asked curiously.

"Penny!" I snapped.

"Sorry," she apologized, then looked at me curiously, "How did you manipulate Emma?"

"I have the power of persuasion."

"Since when?"

"Since my first year of junior high level magic school."

"And you never told me?" She asked me, with a smirk on her lips.

"Well, I found out I had it when I tried to ask this girl out. I knew she was out of my league, but for some reason she said yes. I looked up how that could have happened and found out about my power."

"Do you use it often?" she asked me with arched brows.

"Only when I want the last of Aunt Piper's cookies." I answered with a smile.

"That's cheating!" She answered back with a laugh.

"The point is that I didn't want to manipulate Emma. I don't like using that power, it creates insincerity." I explained, "Insincerity is not a nice feeling to have, it's damaging to other people's trust."

"You're too nice, Michael." Penny replied, "You should have told Wyatt that he couldn't have what he wanted. He created this mess, he needs to fix it."

"What would you have done?"

"I would have fought him." Penny said simply, "He shouldn't be allow to manipulate us into using our powers for him. This whole situation screams personal gain."

"That's what worries me." I answered her back, "How do we know this isn't going to hurt us all ten times more than before? I want Emma to be okay, but at what cost?"

"The problem here, Sweetie," Mom said as she opened the door, "Is that Wyatt and Emma are Piper's children and Piper is very passionate when it comes to her family."

"Hi Aunt Phoebe," Penny said pleasantly, "You look nice today."

"That's sweet, Penny. How's your Mom?" Mom asked as she put a laundry basket near the door.

"She's doing good. I guess I know why she was stressed out this morning." Penny said and then added, "Aunt Phoebe, we're all at risk now, aren't we?"

Mom sat next to Penny, "It depends how this turns out," she rested her hand on Penny's shoulder, "I guess I can understand why Wyatt did what he did, but it wasn't probably the brightest decision."

"Mom..." I began slowly, "I have the power of persuasion. I didn't tell you because I didn't want anyone else to know."

"So that's the deception I've been feeling from you, Mister." Mom answered me back, "Why don't we keep this a secret, between us three."

I wish I could have kept this a secret.

"What's wrong?" Mom asked me.

"Wyatt knows," I answered guiltily, "He made me use it on Emma to forgive her."

Mom looked relatively calm, but I could feel her become angry, "Well, I'm going to warn your Aunt Piper about that."

She left the room and I suddenly felt myself become worried.

Ratting on Wyatt was probably not the best decision.

________________

I heard orbs appear.

"What do you want?" I heard myself ask maliciously, then calmed down, "Sorry."

"No problems." Wyatt answered me back, "I wanted to come by before my next shift and apologize."

Because I ratted you out.

"I know that you're mad at me and I know I was being stupid by forcing you to use your powers to fix my mistake," he leaned against the wall, "I'm supposed to help you and instead I hurt you."

You're too invested in making amends for sins you didn't commit.

"Sometimes I feel like working at a hospital has made me paranoid. Instead of letting doctors heal Emma, I wanted to heal her myself. It doesn't matter, I messed up a whole lot."

"Is she going to be okay?"

Wyatt smiled a bit, "She'll be fine. Whether she takes the potion or she goes through chemotherapy."

I felt myself smile, "But you can't promise me that."

"Carter's mad at me too," Wyatt remembered, "Maybe I should go apologize to him too."

"Have you talked to Emma?"

"I'll talk to her when the persuasion wears off and she is allowed to feel what she wants." Wyatt answered me, "She deserves that from me."

He orbed out a moment later.

Life is a question of free will.

Choices essentially make or break an individual and choices are influenced by the quality of character.

"Was that Penny again?" Dad asked as he opened the door.

"It was Wyatt." I answered back.

"You still mad at him?" Dad asked me gingerly.

"No," I admitted, "I never can hold a grudge."

"That's because you're going to become a Cupid."

A what?

No!

I don't plan on interfering in other people's love lives.

I won't do it.

"You don't have to do it," Dad said with a twinge of a smile, "But you might find that life leads you there all on its own."

"Why me?" I asked tiredly.

"Your sister Rachel is too impatient, your brother Jacob would rather die and who knows, Katie could join you one day." Dad explained to me, "Being a Cupid is a big responsibility and you never use your power for personal gain, that is one of the many things Cupids do. They have responsibility and power, but they use it to help love find a way."

Ugh.


	25. Penny

Wow! My first week back in college. I was not kidding when I said in my profile that college makes it hard to write. I'm going to try and update this story once a week. It's actually a bit of fun, because I originally created this story in junior high under the title "It just _keeps getting better_ and better". I never went any further than the chapter dealing with Alternate Emma's confrontation with Chris (before she assimilated with Present Emma) so I've had to concoct an actual plot to the story. It has been a lot of fun, so I'm going to keep it up as much as possible.

I learned yesterday that it's illegal to be homeless in the town of my university. I've never even heard of such a thing. It's also illegal in San Francisco. I'm so excited to be learning about the social work system (my college minor)

November 26th (about six days after the previous chapter)

* * *

Why is it that I have to take math if I attend Magic School?

Yes. Yes. I know that we need to know measurements and conversions for potion making, but Geometry? Why?

There isn't much I plan to do with Geometry when I become a full-time witch.

Mom doesn't understand how I can so easily throw my life away. I don't think I'm throwing my life away, I just think magic is a powerful subject that demands a substantial amount of my personal attention. It doesn't hurt that I'm good at creating potions and that I've studied demonology exclusively through the years and I plan to continue it as my specialty study until I graduate from Magic School in three years.

The rest of my family doesn't find themselves as attached to the idea of magic interfering with their personal lives.

Wyatt certainly didn't choose to stay at home and make it his full-time career. As soon as he finished school, Wyatt enrolled directly into university as an honor student. Wyatt really had no clue what he wanted to do, but eventually choose medical school as his goal. He graduated with a Bachelors Degree and Medical Degree in six years, a feat that normally takes eight years.

Chris, however, knew exactly what he wanted to do. He wanted to repair broken families and help children out. It's a strange thought that someone as socially uneducated as Chris choose such a personable field, but I never saw Aunt Piper prouder of him. It did help Chris to have Alana in most of his classes, their constant class projects often brought the house to turmoil. One example I won't soon forget is when the two of them brought a homeless guy and began to question him about his life... on Aunt Piper's couch. It was not a good move. Chris and Alana wrote about how criminalizing homelessness was a moral fault of the criminal justice system.

The Winter of Chris and Alana's first year, Alana became pregnant. While the two continued to do their research, Chris became impractically overprotective of Alana and his future nephew. This did more harm to their research than it did good. Chris wouldn't let Alana go to the prisons to talk to inmates for a sociology project. Wyatt was more concerned about the fact that an undergraduate program would even compel a sophomore student to visit a prison in the first place, but eventually allowed Chris to back off Alana just a bit.

Right before their junior year, Alana gave birth to Matthew, prompting her to take classes online instead of at the Institution for a semester. Somehow, Alana kept up records and ended up graduating with Chris last Spring.

Rachel and Jacob are the next members of our family to complete Magic School. I don't know much, but I'm sure the two of them enjoy the pleasure of personal gain that comes with the powers of invisibility (Rachel) and conjuring (Jacob). I wonder if the two of them will even attend a university. Emma apparently wants to be an education major. Somehow, she isn't who I would envision as my future child's teach.

Michael has made it quite clear that he will be out of the magical world as soon as he can. He has another two years until he finishes school, so I'm hoping by then he will choose to pursue magic so that I won't be alone.

* * *

"What are you doing?"

_Carter_... ugh.

"Reading." I answered him dismissively.

"Why?" He asked as he found himself a spot on my bed.

"Because I like to read. Maybe if you read, your grades would improve." I chastised him casually.

He made a face at me, "It's Friday."

"Good to know."

"You're a teenager. Teenagers are supposed to have a life. Why aren't you out with Michael?"

"Because I see Michael almost every day and we needed a break from each other."

"I don't think I remember a day that two of you weren't together." Carter said back.

Moments later Chris appeared, I gave him a questioning look, "Chris, I'm all about you coming around, but orbing into my room might not be a good idea."

Chris' eyes widened, "Sorry. I'm so used to doing it at home."

"No worries." I said back with a smile, "What's up?"

"You said I could talk to you if I had questions." he began hesitantly.

"Definitely," I affirmed and then gave a Carter a waving gesture to the door, "Shoo."

Carter rolled his eyes.

"I'll come talk to you later," Chris said to Carter and turned back to me, "But I have to talk to Penny first."

Carter orbed away.

"So what's your question?" I asked Chris, suddenly intrigued. It had been nearly two months since Chris had gotten back. I figured he had filled in most of the blanks on his own.

"Well I want to know about a lot. Like Wyatt and Bianca's relationship."

_What relationship?_

"No, not like that." Chris answered with a laugh when he saw my face, "I also to know about Wyatt... what he was like growing up."

Why ask me? Why not ask your counterpart... He probably has better answers than I do.

"They're friends," I began, "Well...no, not exactly. They sort of hate each other."

"They hate each other? That's great, some things never change." Chris answered, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Hate might be to strong of a word," I said indecisively and Chris' cocked his head up, "They're like frenemies. They like to compete a lot." I gave him a reassuring look, "I don't remember much. I was six years old when Wyatt and Bianca began magic school."

"You mean they're rivals?" Chris asked me with an arched brow.

"That is probably a better description," I conceded then laughed, "So Alana and Bianca have been friends for a long time. Bianca always knew that Alana was a whitelighter and Bianca wanted to reveal that she was a witch to you guys, but Alana didn't want her to because she knew that when you guys found out that Alana was a whitelighter that you would be mad at Bianca too. So when Alana decided to go to magic school, Bianca enrolled with her."

"How does that make her Wyatt's rival?"

Impatient, aren't we, Chris?

"Well Wyatt caught Bianca shimmering away from Alana in magic school one day and pulled her out of her shimmer. Then she told Wyatt she was witch, this made Wyatt angry because he and Bianca had always been competitive when playing sports in regular schooling. He was upset that not only was she a powerful competitor in mortal fields, but now she was also a Phoenix coven witch."

"That's it? They compete... over sports," Chris asked slowly, "That's stupid."

Of course it's stupid. It's Wyatt and Bianca's rivalry. I've never encountered anyone as stubborn as those two... except for Emma.

"As for Wyatt, he was a piece of work to grow up with," I continued, "Being the oldest and the twice-blessed made him quite the egomaniac. He always thought he was stronger than the rest of the family."

"He is." Chris answered shortly.

He doesn't know... peculiar.

"What?" Chris asked me.

"You're part Elder. Wyatt is only part whitelighter. You're potentially stronger than he is." I answered him hesitantly.

But, don't take that to mean you can leave us behind and become the egomaniac Wyatt was in your world.

"So, Emma is just as powerful then?" Chris reasoned.

"No," I shook my head, "Your dad was an Elder when you were conceived, but he soon fell out of good grace with Elders after a whole problem with the Avatars and then was demoted back to Whitelight. Emma is the same as Wyatt."

"I've never felt powerful." Chris said to himself.

That's because you're self-depreciative.

"Well, you didn't know what you were capable of. I'm also not surprised that your counterpart didn't share the fact that he holds so much power. He never quite enjoyed it himself."

Chris sat there, trying to process the information, then he surprised me, "Tell me about you."

"What do you mean?" I heard myself ask in a flabbergasted tone. It came out in a more impolite tone than I had meant.

Chris look at me with a bewildered expression, then laughed, "So you're not an introvert." He stated it as fact, not as a question.

"Well, I'm fourteen. Carter and Nicole are my younger brother and sister. I have the power of retrocognition of events within three days and deflection."

Chris arched his brows, "Wow, I think I know even less about you than before," then lightened up, "What are your hobbies?"

Hobbies?

"Writing." I answered quickly.

Chris rolled his eyes, "I already knew that," then added in a soft tone, "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I can understand not wanting to reveal yourself to a stranger."

"You're hardly a stranger, Chris," I snapped at him, then calmed down, "I like Art. I like it a lot. I love to paint and find the meaning of things within literature. I love your mother's cooking more than I love my own health. I take mathematics each year, even though it's not required for my Magic School specialty because I'm extremely neurotic about the future."

Chris snorted, "You hardly have rights to such a prestigious title."

It's true. Chris is definitely the most neurotic. Michael and Aunt Piper tie for second.

I felt myself laugh in response, this warmed Chris up a bit more, "More." He gestured with his hands. A vase went flying. Instinctively, I orbed in time to catch the vase.

"Sorry," Chris apologized sheepishly, "I didn't mean to do that."

"It warms my heart that at your age you have less control over your telekinesis than Nicole."

Chris feigned a dirty look, "I apologized already."

"Chill out." I joked and put my arm on his shoulder.

premonition

"_Chris, please talk to me. It's been four days." Emma pleaded from the living room of Chris and Bianca's home_

"_There is a lock on the door for a reason, Emma." Chris responded coldly, "Because I don't want strangers in my house."_

_Emma looked like she had been slapped in the face. _

_Chris sighed._

"_I don't want you to be mad at me." Emma said in a uncharacteristically soft voice. _

"_You don't mind the other version of me being mad at you." Chris said irritatedly. _

"_He's my brother." Emma mumbled to herself, then put her hand on her forehead, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."_

"_Yeah, you did." Chris answered her, looking wounded._

"_Give her a break, Chris" Emma shouted back at him, her voice had changed to a more solidified tone which noted the change in persona._

_Chris conceded finally, "It'll be fine. Just give me a few day." and looked at her with resolution, "SHOO." _

"_I'm going." Present Emma said in a offended tone, before orbing out. _

"Have you talked to her yet?" I asked a moment later.

"I really don't like premonition." Chris said stubbornly.

I felt a smile form on my face, "That's okay," I said with a smirk, "I don't like Empaths."

"Michael's an empath." Chris stated confused.

"Empath blocking potions are great assets." I explained.

Chris gave me a stern look, "You shouldn't go to the Underworld."

"Don't worry," I responded back lightly, "That was two years ago."

Chris' response was another reprimanded expression, then he turned to me, "DEMON!" he yelled.

I turned quickly, "Really? in my room?" I snapped back at the demon.

The demon ignored me and fired a fireball. I swung my hand at the fireball and it deflected back to the demon whom promptly burned to dust. Another demon appeared a moment later and I was forced to repeat the process.

What about Carter and Nicole? I hope they're safe in the basement.

Chris stood there stunned, "That was cool."

"Well, what kind of power would retrocognition be without an offensive power?" I asked with a grin. I grabbed his hand, "Come on." I said as we orbed into the basement.

"Are you okay?" I asked Carter and Nicole when Chris and I arrived in the basement.

"I can't get rid of that thing." Carter answered suddenly. Chris and I turned to see one of the demons literally frozen in ice.

"Uh," Chris began, looking suddenly very surprised, "I've got it." He put his hand on the ice and was about the orb when the demon frozen into literally broke in several small shards.

**Disgusting.** Chris turned back to Nicole, Carter and I.

"It wasn't me." I answered suddenly.

"I wish it was me." Carter agreed.

We turned to Nicole, whose eyes were focused on the ice chunks, "Nikki?" Carter asked with a frown, "You did this?"

"It was scaring me." Nicole defended, "so I wanted it to go away."

"Nikki, you're scared of it?" Carter asked her with disbelief, "You just broke the demon like a vase!"

"Sorry!" Nicole said and retreated by hiding behind my leg.

I do not think so, Nicole. Carter's right. Your power is scary. I didn't have that much power at six years old.

"Alright then," Chris said a moment later, he focused on the ice and it disappeared in orbs, "That should take care of that."

And of course, curiosity struck me, "Where exactly did you orb that?"

"The Underworld," Chris shrugged, "At least that's where I was aiming."

"Right" Carter answered dryly and began to orb away, "Hey!" he shouted angrily at Chris.

"I need you to orb into the Manor and get the Book." Chris said to him.

"You do it," Carter said with an annoyed expression, "It's your house."

"I can't." Chris said weakly.

"Why not?" Carter asked suspiciously. His eyes flickered with irritated curiosity.

"I'll tell you later, now go" Chris pressured Carter.

Carter grumbled, but disappeared. I looked at Chris intrigued, "Why do we need the Book?"

"To make sure those demons don't come back and send their friends." He answered simply.

Rightttttttttt. They always come back. Always. Demons are never going to disappear. That is exactly why I study demonology.

"I bet Penny knows what demon it is." Nicole said sweetly suddenly to Chris.

Chris looked at Nicole and gently asked, "What do you mean?"

"Demonology is her specialty." Nicole explained, then looked at guiltily. She figured I hadn't volunteered this information for a reason.

"Do you know what demon it is?" Chris asked me.

_I don't want to..._


	26. Carter

Wow! My first week back in college. I was not kidding when I said in my profile that college makes it hard to write. I'm going to try and update this story at least once a week. It's actually a bit of fun, because I originally created this story in junior high under the title "It just _keeps getting better_ and better". I never went any further than the chapter dealing with Alternate Emma's confrontation with Chris (before she assimilated with Present Emma) so I've had to concoct an actual plot to the story. It has been a lot of fun, so I'm going to keep it up as much as possible.

November 26th (about six days after the previous chapter)

* * *

I was pretty thankful when I found the Attic to be empty. For some reason, the Attic never seems to stay empty long.

"Come on Book" I said as I lifted it. Why does the Book of Shadows have to be so heavy?

I closed my eyes and orbed back into my house.

"It's a-" I began when I arrived back in the house.

"Penny's got it," Chris managed in an irritated tone, "We're going to make a potion."

I looked at Nikki, with a look of 'What's wrong?'

Nikki's eyes shifted uncomfortably to the bookshelf, full of books on demonology and other topics.

Oh.

_of course_, Penny didn't tell Chris she specialized in demonology.

I actually feel pretty bad for Chris, a lot of people keep things from him. Whether it be to their advantage or just not to hurt his feelings. He went to the past, though and dealt with our mothers heckling him constantly without true knowledge of who is. If my mom had treated me the way that Aunt Piper had treated Chris, I probably wouldn't have been able to keep the secret. I would have told the truth so they would go easier on me. Chris didn't do that, though, so he must have a strong will.

"Carter we need you to get some ingredients from Aunt Phoebe's. I'll go to Aunt Piper's house." Penny said to me and then looked at Chris, "Though I think you should be the one to go."

Chris gave her a look, "I'm going to get necessary tools to make the potion." He said to her, then added, "If you see my sister, don't tell her anything."

_Why not?_

"Even if she knew about the demon, I wouldn't let her come." Penny answered, a bit offended by Chris' suggestion. Penny orbed out a moment later with a list of ingredients in her hand.

Chris handed me my list, which was considerably shorter than Penny's.

I nodded at him, before orbing outside of Aunt Phoebe's house. I rang the doorbell, grateful it was dark and no one else could see me.

"Carter?" Michael asked when he opened the door, "Why did you knock on the door?"

Because that's what polite people do?

"I didn't want to just appear in your house. It's not nice." I shrugged and then added, "I need a few ingredients for a potion." I said following him inside.

"Who's making it?" Michael asked suspiciously.

"I am," I said dryly and then laughed, "Chris is."

"Why did he send you here?" Michael asked as he rummaged through a cupboard for some of the ingredients, he handed me a bag of something.

"We're brewing it together." I answered, then mumbled a thanks when he added me another bag.

"Carter!" Katie yelled excitedly when she saw me, "What are you doing here?"

"Hey Katie," I managed distractedly, "I'm getting ingredients for a potion."

"Katie, did you clean your room?" Michael asked, looking down at her.

Why do you care if your little sister cleans her room?

Katie pouted in response and trudged off to her room. "This is the last one." Michael said and then in a stern tone, "Try and be safe, alright?"

I'll be fine. You are a worrywart.

"Sure." I said with a grin and orbed back home.

When I got back to the house, Chris looked up from the book, "You work fast, that's good." He had a knife out and various measure tools.

Nikki looked at me, "Are you going with them to vanquish the demons?"

"Yes" I answered automatically.

Chris disagreed, "You're not old enough."

_Please_. I've gone through more years of magic school than you did, "But I can help." I argued back.

"Don't worry, Penny isn't going either." Chris said in a dismissive tone.

"Good luck with that." I muttered involuntarily, then explained further, "Penny won't let you go alone. The family has a whole 'buddy system function'".

"Doesn't matter. I don't think Emma and Wyatt follow that rule, so why should I?"

"They do follow that rule. Wyatt goes with Derry. Emma goes with her one friend." I said with a smirk.

"Who is Derry?" Chris asked.

"Wyatt's best friend. They've been friends since they were babies," I explained with questioning look, "He's a manticore. He's cool."

"Derrick became Wyatt's best friend." Chris answered with a roll of eyes, "Of course."

"What's wrong with Derry?" I asked him, suddenly wondering where the hostility was coming from.

"Nothing." Chris muttered, "Alright, let's see what you've got."

I handed him the bags of ingredients. I was more than happy to hand him the chicken feet.

Being a witch is not always the most sanitary environment.

"Don't you need a piece of the demon for the potion to work?" I pondered.

"Not necessarily, but we got a few pieces in the freezer thanks to Nicole."

Thanks for reminding me.

Nikki pulled on my shirt, "Can I go watch tv?"

Best idea of the night.

"Sure," I answered her, "but you better orb into the basement if you see a demon."

After Nikki had left, I turned to Chris, "Why won't you go into your own house?"

"It isn't my house. It's my parent's house. I have my own house." He answered me.

"Chris" I complained.

"Last Friday was my birthday and I wanted to have a nice time with my parents, my siblings, grandpa and my wife. Then Wyatt and Emma had a fight."

From what has been said in the last few days, it was more than a fight.

"You heard." Chris muttered as he read my face.

"Yeah," I admitted, "But I didn't talk about it with anyone."

"Wyatt went to the Underworld and traded away the Charmed One's presence in the Underworld for a potion to heal Emma of her ailment."

I wonder why he choose the word 'ailment' instead of 'cancer'.

"He had been sneaking it into her drinks for a few days and she caught him doing it at the party. She became mad when she heard Wyatt had dealt with demons to get the potion, so she refuse to take it. Then Wyatt revealed what he had given up to get the potion. The two of them literally were about to attack each other, then I intercepted."

I felt a smirk play on my lips.

"I am not proud of what I did," Chris said in a remprimanding tone to me, "I'm just mad they ruined my birthday."

"That sounds incredibly selfish."

Chris stared at me like I was an alien.

A moment later, I added, "And that is not why you won't talk to them."

"You're the first person to actually to actually talk to me like that." Chris stated, a bit of surprising wearing off, "Good. I need it. No more apologies. It's getting on my nerves."

"Why are you avoiding them?" I asked him again.

"I can't face them. I attacked them. I would never attack my family." Chris said, as if trying to convince me.

"Out of curiosity," I began, "Which of them do you think is right?"

"Neither one of them is right," Chris said with a snort, "They both have their merits though. After going through what I have, it would kill me to lose my sister, but sacrificing the Charmed One's power could result in even more turmoil."

"You should forgive him." I said a moment later.

Chris looked at me, with a surprised look, "You were mad at Wyatt last I heard."

"I was mad because I thought he was making empty promises to my baby sister." I said back.

"If a demon made you sacrifice your powers for to save your sister, would you do it?" Chris asked.

That's a strange question.

"Without a doubt," I answered him, "I would do anything to protect Nikki."

Chris didn't look surprised.

"Wyatt probably feels really bad for what he did, but he knows that his family is more important than magic. He sacrificed our parent's powers because they barely ever vanquish demons anymore. Wyatt and Emma do most of the vanquishing." I rationalized.

"I'm back!" Penny called when she had orbed back in, she had several bags in her hands.

"What is this potion?" I asked them intrigued, "Does it blow up the whole Underworld?"

Penny and Chris laughed.

___________________

"We shouldn't be gone long, not more than an hour. When mom gets back, tell her we've gone demon hunting." Penny instructed me.

And what if you're not back in an hour? A part of me wanted to ask this question, but I let it be.

The two disappeared, so I retreated to the couch. The same movie had been playing for days on end, but I pretended to pay attention for Nikki's sake.

Between commercials I made her some macaroni for dinner. She seemed to like it, but I found it to be thoroughly unpleasant; It was too runny and too salty.

Mom was working a late shift at the social services agency. From what Michael had said before I had gone home, Aunt Phoebe was helping Aunt Piper with the restaurant.

By the end of the movie, I wasn't even sure how I hadn't noticed how late it was. "Nine already?"

Chris and Penny had left well over two hours ago.

That means the two of them are in trouble. I need help.

I can't go to Aunt Piper's, only Emma is there.

Aunt Phoebe's house!

"What's wrong? Nikki asked me worriedly.

"Nothing, come on." I grabbed her hand and orbed into Aunt Phoebe's home. I couldn't hear any noise of any sort. It makes sense that Rachel and Jacob are gone, but what about Michael and Katie?

"Michael?" I called aloud.

After receiving no response, I decided that I needed to take Nikki somewhere safe.

As soon as I had orbed into magic school, I found Katie.

"Katie, why are you alone?" Nikki asked nervously.

"She's not alone." a voice answered Nikki. We turned to see a clone of Katie.

"Two of you?" Nikki asked fearfully, "Is it a demon?"

"I'm surprised you don't recognize, Nicole," the figure joked and shapeshifted in to Nick, "I've known you your whole life."

"You scared me, Nick." Nikki answered with a frown.

"Sorry, kiddo." Nick apologized, "Michael asked me to watch Katie for him. He finally asked Zoe out."

"Why don't you ask Penny out?" I asked him with a grin.

Nick seemed to be taken by surprise, "Penny is one of my best friends."

"She likes you too." I said, the grin twitching into a smirk.

"Penny's going to be mad you told." Nikki chastised me.

"Not if Nick keeps it a secret and asks her out instead."

"What is it that you wanted again?" Nick asked, suddenly flushed a bit.

"I need you to watch Nikki."

"Sure. Me and Nicole are name buddies." Nick responded, "But where you going?"

"Penny and our cousin are stuck in the Underworld," I explained, "I'm going to get them."

"You're too young," Nick answered back, "Someone older should go."

"Fine," I mumbled, "Watch them, I'll find help."

"You can't go," Nikki pleaded as hugged my waist, "Don't."

"You don't have to worry about me," I said with a smile, "I'm going to handle it."


	27. Child of Ice

Wow! My first week back in college. I was not kidding when I said in my profile that college makes it hard to write. I'm going to try and update this story at least once a week. It's actually a bit of fun, because I originally created this story in junior high under the title "It just _keeps getting better_ and better". I never went any further than the chapter dealing with Alternate Emma's confrontation with Chris (before she assimilated with Present Emma) so I've had to concoct an actual plot to the story. It has been a lot of fun, so I'm going to keep it up as much as possible.

November 26th, still... And sorry, I didn't mean that the chapters between Carter and Penny were six days apart. They aren't, obviously. Also, this chapter is not in first-person. I'm not a good enough writer to capture the mind of a six year old or three year old. Sorry.

______________

"I can't believe we got caught." Chris muttered, trying with no success to get his hands out the rope they were bound by.

Penny tried her hardest to get the rope off her hands, but this did no good and instead the rope irritated her wrists, "We should have known this was a trap."

"You mean, you should have known it was a trap." Chris corrected in an irritated voice.

"You should know too!" Penny shot back impatiently, "You spent over a year with our parents vanquishing demons on a near-daily basis."

"This conversation is particularly pleasurable," The demon said to Chris and Penny, "But I want what I asked for."

"Which is what again?" Penny asked, slightly fearful.

"The Charmed Ones."

"You think they would be the last people you want." Chris muttered dryly.

"Specially, because they're banned from the Underworld." Penny agreed.

"Not those Charmed Ones. The future Charmed Ones." The demon said with a twisted smirk.

"The Future Charmed Ones?" Penny asked, suddenly very interested in where this was going.

"It was forseen that there would be three children that resulted from the original Charmed ones: one child of premonition, one child of telekinesis, and one child of molecular control beyond what has seen before. That child would literally turn things to ice and create fires with only his eyes."

Chris and Penny took a few moments to process the information, "That could be anyone." Chris argued, "How would we know who is the right one?"

* * *

"Uncle Leo!" Carter called from his house, "Uncle Leo! Please come down here!"

"What's wrong?" Leo said as he materialized, "Is anyone hurt."

"I don't know," Carter answered insecurely, "Penny and Chris left for the Underworld over two hours ago and haven't come back. Can you help make this potion, it's way too complicated for me."

"What does the potion do, exactly?" Leo asked Carter.

"It kills the demon that Penny and Chris were after," Carter explained, "I'm going to go look for help."

"You need to call your mother and your aunts." Leo answered him immediately.

"I can't. Mom is working and Aunt Piper and Aunt Phoebe are at the restaurant." Carter rambled on, "I'm going to try to find Rachel or Jacob."

"Carter, you need your Aunts." Leo repeated.

"They aren't allowed in the Underworld, Uncle Leo," Carter reasoned, "Please help with the potion or Chris and Penny could be seriously hurt. I'll be back soon."

with that, Carter orbed away.

_____________

"Where the Hell am I?" Carter asked himself when he reappeared in a dark house with brightly colored lights, "Oh really you guys! You can't skip the party for one night!" Carter snapped to himself.

He managed to squeeze through the crowd of people before being pulled back by a teenager who dragged him out of the house, "No kids allowed."

"I need to talk to Rachel Halliwell." Carter pleaded.

"What's your name?" The teen asked Carter.

"Carter." The teen headed back into the party and then reappeared a few minutes later.

"Rachel says she doesn't know any Camdens'" the teen answered him.

"My name is Carter, not Camden!" Carter snapped at the teen, but gave up trying to chase down Rachel. Chances were, even if she knew it was him, she wasn't going to leave the party to hunt a demon.

Carted sighed, he continued to walk down the street, "Help. Help. Help. Help. Help." he repeated over and over. He finally felt himself orb and found himself in the hospital a moment later, "I don't need that kind of help, yet." he whined to the Elders that had guided him there.

"You're going to expose us." Wyatt said from behind me.

"Oh!" he exclaimed and looked up, "Wyatt! Of course! Thanks!" Carter thanked the Elders.

Wyatt gave him a weird look, "What are you doing here? are you injured? If so, you need to be checked in."

"No! Wyatt, I need your help." Carter answered.

"I'm working, my shift isn't over for six more hours." Wyatt answered helplessly, "Sorry."

"She'll be dead by then!" Carter snapped back angrily.

"Who will be dead? Emma? Did she go demon hunting?" Wyatt asked, suddenly very concerned.

"Penny and Chris went after a demon three hours ago and they haven't come home yet."

"Crap," Wyatt muttered, "Okay, you stay here. I'm going to call some of the other residents to ask if they can cover for me.

* * *

'Child of ice, more than likely refers to Carter. I didn't even know that males could be a Charmed one. Maybe, it's Emma. She had the power to freeze time and blow things up, maybe her powers will advance.' Chris thought to himself.

'Child of telekinesis. How more absurd can the situation get? Wyatt, Chris and Nicole hold that power. Not to mention that Rachel and Jacob can probably chanel the power through their telepathy and Michael through his empathy. It could be anyone, but Katie and...' Penny argued mentally in her head.

'Penny could be the child of premonition, but what about Katie? She's only three years old. If she is a future 'Charmed One' then she won't be able to protect innocents for at least twelve more years. Who cares if there are future Charmed Ones. If I don't get out of here, then all I did in the past will have been for nothing.'

"So what exactly is your plan to get them down here?" Chris asked the demon sarcastically.

"The child of ice will come for you. I have no doubt about it." The demon mocked, "When I destroy him, the future of the progeny will be over."

"How do you even know that will work?" Penny demanded angrily, every ten seconds or so, she tried to orb away, but was fruitless in her effort.

"The child of ice is also the the child of fire, with fire comes passion," the demon taunted, "his passion will lead him into a trap."

"Is that what you think?" Carter asked as her orbed into the Underworld.

"Carter, it's a trick, flee!" Penny yelled, but it was too late, Carter was bound by rope as well.

A moment later, the demon literally froze into a block of ice, "What just happened?" Chris asked Carter.

"I just saved you," Wyatt said with a smile, orbs surrounded Wyatt as he reverted to his original form as Carter. The demon began to break through the ice, Carter threw a potion as the demon was vanquished. The bound Carter that had been trapped also reverted to his rightful form as the real Wyatt, "Great plan, wasn't it?"

"What just happened?" Chris mumbled to Penny.

"No idea," Penny replied back as she shook her head, "But it worked."

Carter helped the three of them get the ropes off their hands, "Well, it's simple, really."

"Carter noticed that you guys took a long time to come home, so left Nicole at Magic School and went searching for an ally after being persuaded by your friend Nick," Wyatt began as he stood up, "Then he found me, but not before getting Dad to make that oh-so effective potion you just witnessed. He figured he would use the element of surprise to kill the demon, so we glamoured into each other."

"You can glamour?" Penny asked Carter.

"Guess, I'm a better whitelighter than you are." Carter stuck his tongue out at his sister.

Chris and Wyatt laughed at the sight.

* * *

"Chris, what are you doing here?" Emma asked, from her homework, she looked at the clock, "it's nearly midnight."

Chris handed her the potion and said firmly, "Drink it."

"That's Wyatt's potion," Emma argued, "I'm not supporting what he did."

"Emma, I'm not repeating myself. You need to drink this potion. I nearly died tonight and it gave me a new perspective." Chris said, a little gentler but just as firm.

"You almost die all the time." Emma mumbled weakly.

Chris hated himself for giving Emma the ultimatum, "Look, you either drink the potion and live a happy life with our family or you don't drink the potion and you can take your chances with chemotherapy without me around anymore."

Emma choked up for a moment, trying to keep back tears, "How could you even say something like that?"

"Wyatt was wrong to get this potion, but his intentions were good. I'm not letting the sacrifice he made be in vain." Chris answered her, and pushed the potion into her hands.

"I hate you for this." Emma choked through her tears.

"Hate me now, but you'll be grateful later." Chris managed to say, trying to kill the guilt he felt.

Emma drank the potion, then turned away from Chris, "You should go." She mumbled into her blankets icily.

Chris wanted so much to reach to his sister and tell her he had done this because he loved her, but he knew that wasn't an effective route with Emma.

"Rest up, I'll come see you tomorrow." Chris said gently to her.

* * *

"Out of curiosity," Chris asked Wyatt as he took a sip of wine to calm his nerves, "Why didn't you let her go through chemotherapy? You know how effective it is."

"The same reason I bailed on work in the middle of my shift," Wyatt answered back, "I didn't want to take any chances."

"We're lucky someone covered for you, Wy." Chris mumbled, "Thanks for saving us."

"Well, I figured Derry would cover if I pleaded enough." Wyatt said lightly, "You should know I'll always keep up after my little brother."

"Derrick is a doctor?" Chris asked Wyatt, he sighed surprised, "It really is a different world."

"Let me guess, he was my right hand demon?" Wyatt suggested.

"Pretty much." Chris answered.

"Well, you're the superhero, Chris," Wyatt laughed, "That's why we couldn't let you die. That and Bianca would kill me."

"I heard about your rivalry." Chris laughed sardonically, "Some thing can't change from one world to the other."

"If it makes you feel better, we barely compete now," Wyatt joked, "Though she beat me in a bet."

"A bet?" Chris asked.

"I bet she wouldn't get pregnant before turning twenty-five, which she won." Wyatt elaborated, "But I sort of won, because the baby won't be born until after she turns twenty-five."

"They always make stupid bets that make no sense." Piper said as she down inbetween her sons.

"Hey Mom, how was the restaurant?" Wyatt asked as he gave her a welcome home hug.

"It was packed, which was a bit of a surprise considering Thanksgiving was only yesterday." Piper answered him back with a smile, she leaned on Wyatt exhaustedly.

"Well why eat boring old turkey when you can come to the greatest restaurant in town?" Wyatt joked.

"Not that I'm not glad to see you sweetie, but your shift shouldn't be over yet." she looked at her watch.

"Got off early," Wyatt said with a smile, "Which is good, I'm in desperate need of some sleep."

'You're not going to tell her?' Chris asked Wyatt mentally.

Wyatt shook his head.

"And what about you, Peanut?" Piper asked Chris, "I haven't seen you in about a week."

"A lot of parents don't see their adult children on a daily basis, Mom." Chris teased.

"You live next door, mister." Piper chastised, "If you didn't want to see me, you would have moved farther away. You didn't even spend Thanskgiving with us."

"I spent it with Grandpa." Chris mumbled, "I've missed him a lot."

"That's sweet," Piper said, "but you need to come around more often. I missed you."

"You should be able to tell the sex of your baby pretty soon, you know." Wyatt said coyly, "In about two to three weeks."

"Thanks for reminding me that I know nothing about babies, Wyatt." Chris sighed exasperated.

* * *

"Some I'm some great power? that's so cool!" Carter bragged to Penny.

"I said you might be, it could be Emma, though. She had the power to freeze time and blow things up. Sounds more like Emma, than you." Penny teased her brother.

"But the Demon said it was laying a trap for the Child of Ice and then I appeared it tried to capture me. So, I'm part of the new Charmed Ones!"

"Then there's the child of telekinesis." Penny continued, "which could be potentially anyone. Wyatt, Chris, Rachel, Jacob, Michael and..."

"Nikki," Carter said suddenly, "You saw her earlier. She broke that demon into a million pieces. It's got to be her."

"I'm betting it's someone a little more experienced, probably Chris." Penny argued.

"It can't be Chris, if it was Chris the demon would have killed him when he got the chance." Carter argued.

"We don't even know if this is real." Penny stated to Carter, "It could be a bunch of crap."

"We could ask Uncle Leo." Carter suggested.

"Tomorrow then!" Penny complained, "Now go away, I'm going to try to sleep for once."

__________


	28. Progeny

Hey! MLK weekend is over :( Oh well. I had a great weekend and my university might get a blizzard. So this photo takes place in the Manor's living room and I've included a link to a picture that lays out where everyone is sitting in this chapter in my profile.

In case you didn't know, I have links to pictures of all the Halliwell's in my profile.

_____________

November 27th (twelve days after Emma discovers her leukemia)

"The Elders said in the future there will be three witches that will become the Charmed Ones, but instead they will be called 'Progeny'." Leo explained to his children and all of his nephews and nieces.

"Who is in 'Progeny?'" Jacob asked Leo. He leaned against the arm of the couch.

"Yeah and what does this mean for the rest of us?" Rachel added, making herself comfortable on the couch.

"The Elders believe that Progeny is comprised of Carter," Leo began, "Who is the child of Ice, Katie, who is the child of Premonition and Nicole, the child of Telekinesis."

"Thank God it's not me." Rachel responded with a smirk. She found a comfortable position then added, "I do not want to spend the rest of my life in the magical world."

Standing next to his father, Wyatt arched his brows at Rachel, "Magic is never going to leave you, Rachel."

"Wyatt is right, Rachel. Magic won't escape you, not any of you." Leo agreed.

Rachel made a face at Wyatt.

"I'm glad neither of you two are part of the future Charmed Ones," Chris said with a smirk from an armchair, "You two play personal gain like tic-tac-toe."

"Tic-Tac-Toe?" Emma asked, genuinely confused.

"None of you are in Progeny because you all have enough power already and responsibility: Wyatt wields Excalibur. Chris, you're an Elder-Witch Hybrid. Emma, on the other hand, this won't escape you. You have been destined to be their whitelighter."

"What?" Emma demanded, she stood up from her seat next to Michael, "Dad, I don't want to be a whitelighter."

Chris, Wyatt, Rachel and Jacob were in absolute hysterics. Emma gave them a death glare, which did nothing to ease their laughter.

"It's your destiny, Emily." Leo said unapologetically, "You'll learn to love it in time."

"You're never going to have a life, Ems." Jacob said with a smirk. Emma shoved Jacob impatiently.

"I wasn't finished," Leo said with a warning expression to the four eldest, he looked Jacob and Rachel in the eyes, "You two will be their guardians."

"No." Jacob rejected the notion quickly, "Guardians are not human beings. Guardians wear ugly white robes, invisible to the world, while helping others. My life is not going to be over at eighteen."

"Guardian is an unofficial term," Leo said with arched brows, "What I meant to say is that you will be training them in the field of physical magic. You will teach them to control their powers, implement them effectively and teach them how to vanquish demons."

"Then what does their whitelighter do?" Penny piped up curiously. She sat patiently on the other side of Michael.

"Whitelighters are there for moral guidance, information, and wisdom about a situation. Though whitelighters may help their charges with physical training, The Elders have decided in favor of having a physical trainer and moral guide."

"I don't want to do it." Rachel stated to Leo.

Katie stood up from her seat on the floor and wrapped her hands around Rachel's waist, "Please, Rachey, I'm scared." She pleaded.

"That won't work on me, bug." Rachel said in unenthusiastic tone.

Katie looked at Jacob with forming tears, "Jakey," she pleaded, "Please."

"Ugh," Jacob groaned, "I want to have a normal life. I want to go to college and do something outside of magic."

"You'll still have a normal life," Leo reassured him, "The three of them are way too young to go into training for at least another five years."

"Rachel?" Jacob asked her opinion.

"Whatever. I guess you get what you want, Brat." Rachel seceded to Katie. She looked less than pleased.

"Glad it isn't me either." Michael whispered to Penny. She laughed.

"That's because you're going to be a cupid, Michael." Leo explained, "The Elders don't want you taking on too much."

"You're going to be a Cupid?" Penny asked with a teasing smirk, "Did your date last night inspire you?"

"Penny," Leo didn't laugh, "You're going to become a Muse."

"What is wrong with this family?" Emma mumbled to herself, "It's the Halliwell Zoo, starring Wyatt as the bearer of Excalibur, Chris as the Elder Boy Wonder, Myself as the misplaced Whitelighter, the Twins as the Physical Guardians, Michael as the Love-Inspiring Hero, Penny as the Muse and lets not forget the little ones as the future Charmed Ones."

"She's right, Uncle Leo," Michael agreed, "This family has become ridiculous."

"Don't talk like that," Chris chastised, "This family is the center of all good in the universe."

"Elder Boy Wonder has spoken." Jacob joked with a smirk.

That remark earned Jacob a glare, "I'm just saying that if we're destined to do something, maybe we should do it." Chris suggested to his family.

"Well, I'm destined to get to get out here, so I'll see you later." Rachel said with smirk, then faded away. Moments later she was pulled back by Wyatt.

"I don't think he was finished." Wyatt answered her irritated look with a victorious smile.

"Thank you, Wyatt." Chris said appreciatively, before giving Rachel a look, "Look, it won't be that bad. These Charmed Ones are going to have more experience and support than the original ones did: Our family is composed of three official whitelighters, five unofficial whitelighters, a cupid, countless witches and support from a few mortals that care about us, including Grandpa, Uncle Henry and the rest."

"What about you?" Carter asked Chris.

"What about me?" Chris answered confused.

"You said there were three official whitelighters, but what about you? You're a whitelighter too." Carter explained, "There's four official whitelighters: Uncle Leo, Wyatt and his wife and then there is you."

"That was more like a fluke," Chris explained, "I don't have any official training. Don't get me wrong though, I'll definitely be there to help out."

"I'm glad you're helping." Nicole said sweetly to Chris, "You're a good whitelighter, Chris."

Chris walked a foot past Rachel and knelt down beside Nicole, "Thanks jelly bean," he pet her hair then added, "We won't let you get hurt, that's a promise."

"Are they even qualified to train us?" Carter asked, as he gestured towards Rachel and Jacob. Chris looked up at Carter curiously, both Rachel and Jacob took offense to this remark.

"They're getting pretty close," Leo answered him, "Rachel's Magic School specialty is vanquishing and Jacob's is combat. They'll also get training to become your official guardians."

"It's not like you're that strong that you'll get much out of our training anyway," Jacob answered Carter, "So I'd keep the attitude to yourself."

"So the Elders made the decision of who would be in Progeny?" Rachel asked Leo.

"Yes, they choose three key elements when placing the kids in progeny," Leo began, "The first element is time. The Elders wanted the children to be specially trained. The second element is emotion; Each child represents a key trait. Carter represents passion. Nicole represents knowledge. Katie represents vitality." Leo stopped for a moment.

"And the last element?" Chris asked impatiently. He had no patience for the Elder's actions.

"The Elders chose to play with a destiny a bit, by controlling how their fates would play out. The last element is choice. They knew that Carter, Nicole and Katie would accept their fate without a fight."

"That isn't fair," Wyatt snapped angrily, "The Elders know that they won't fight the fate they're given because they're too young to understand it."

"The Elders also know that Carter will accept his fate to feel like he has the power to do something." Penny said, now a bit angry at what the Elders had done to her brother.

"The Elders know that Nicole would accept her fate because she feels compelled to fulfill her duty." Emma added.

"Not to mention that Katie will do anything she thinks will get her attention." Rachel completed, just as angry as the other teen girls.

"Why don't you three just shut up." Carter snapped at his sister and two cousins.

His family stared at him in surprise.

"You don't know what we want because you guys rarely pay attention to us. I bet I know more about you than you know about me." Carter said, "Everyone knows that Rachel is a horrible spell-writer, but did you know she's in the top 5% of her class in the field of magical precision? not to mention, Jacob, who has barely any foresight can predict what will happen with his tarot cards."

"How do you-" Rachel began, shocked.

"I'm not finished," Carter snapped, "Emma says she doesn't want to be a whitelighter, but she already knows how to heal. Wyatt and Chris couldn't do that at seventeen."

Wyatt's eyes narrowed in on Emma curiously.

"Michael treats magic like the plague, yet has the best amount of control over his powers and temptations. He has never used magic for personal gain except when under duress." Carter gave Wyatt a knowing glance, "Penny has read the Book of Shadows once every six month since she was ten."

Jacob arched his brows cockily at Penny, "Reading is attractive." Jacob said with a smirk.

"Carter, how do you know all this stuff?" Leo asked as he knelt lower to his nephew.

"No one ever lets me take part in everything, they go on with their days not noticing me, but I always notice them. Rachel was in a magic school newsletter. Jacob's tarot reading essays are in a book in the magic school library. I saw Emma heal Nikki once. I know about Penny because she's basically transcribed the whole book into a notebook at home. Underage students are issued a report if they use magic for personal gain. I know Michael hasn't used his powers for personal gain because he couldn't help me when I had to write an essay as my punishment."

"I think the Elders made a great choice, Carter," Leo said proudly, "You're obviously very observant and care quiet a bit about your family."

"I want to do this." Carter said decisively, "I want to protect innocents and continue with magic."

Leo smiled, "I'm glad you're so enthusiastic, Carter, but you won't have to make this decision for another five years or so."

"Funny, because this conversation seems to be taking five years." Emma mumbled annoyed. Chris and Wyatt laughed.

"I got the hint, Emily," Leo said impatiently, then smiled at the rest, "Thanks for taking the time out of your days, that's it for now."

Rachel and Jacob disappeared quickly. Carter and Nikki chose to stay and have lunch, while Katie decided to go play with Matthew. Penny and Michael gave their goodbyes and left moments later.

Leo turned to his daughter, "How are you feeling, Pumpkin?" He asked Emma gently.

"I'm feeling a lot better, Daddy." She answered with a yawn, "I slept ten hours last night and I'm still tired though."

"It's probably the potion." Chris answered in a nosy tone, his eyes pleaded for Emma's forgiveness.

Emma ignored Chris and walked up behind Wyatt. Chris felt himself become nervous, knowing Emma could very well try to blow Wyatt up. Emma tapped his back.

Wyatt turned around in surprise, "What's wrong?" He noted her downcast expression.

She closed her eyes, took a breathe and managed to apologize, "I could never think you were evil."

Wyatt nodded warily, "Are you feeling any better?"

"I feel better than I have in months. I guess this illness made me realize that I need to relax a bit." Emma admitted, "So I'm going to focus on school for now."

"I'm glad you two have stopped fighting." Chris said warily with a smile, "I missed seeing you guys."

Emma turned to her other older brother, "I could never stay mad at you. Sometimes I wish I could." she laughed through her sniffles, "You're too good of a person."

Chris instinctively hugged her, "I love you too." Chris took this situation to his advantage, "If it means anything at all, I think you would be a great whitelighter."

"Yeah, you've got those premature healing powers." Wyatt added with a smirk, that waned into a supportive smile.

"I'm glad you're okay, honey." Leo agreed and kissed her head, "I agree with your brother's that you'd do well as a whitelighter."

_______________

November 28th

"I don't want to be here." Emma murmured nervously, "This place gives me the creeps."

"It's a hospital." Chris said, trying to hide his dislike for hospitals. He glanced around the hospital.

"Emily Halliwell!" A doctor called aloud.

Emma jumped in surprise, "Calm down, Emma." Leo said gingerly, "You'll be fine."

Emma waked nervously after the Doctor, each step made her heart pound heavier.

The Doctor had Emma stand on a scale and measured her height. He took note of her weight, "113 pounds. Good start, you've gained three pounds since your last appointment."

* * *

Meanwhile, Wyatt went over his files. He walked up to a counter, "Hey, I was wondering if Emily Halliwell had arrived yet?"

The nurse smiled and typed into a computer, a moment later she looked back up, "She's being prepared for Chemotherapy."

Wyatt frowned, "Has she had her blood tested?"

The nurse looked at the computer again, "Since she had her bone marrow biopsy within in the last two weeks, they choose not to and to directly proceed."

'Not good. Not good. Not good.' Wyatt thought nervously. He found the nearest restroom and orbed into Phoebe's house.

"Wyatt, what's wrong Sweetie?" Phoebe asked her nephew.

"Can I borrow Michael?" He asked her.

Michael groaned, "Wyatt..."

"They're going to put Emma through chemotherapy." Wyatt pleaded.

"I thought the potion cleared it." Phoebe said, very concerned for her niece.

"It did. I thought it would be okay as long as they did a blood test first, but they pushed through that." Wyatt explained, nervousness seeping through his words.

"Fine, I'm coming." Michael agreed. Wyatt grabbed Michael's hand and orbed him into the hospital restroom.

* * *

"Hi," Michael said amicably to the Doctor, "I'm Emma Halliwell's cousin and I was wondering if you guys ran any tests before sending her out to Chemotherapy."

"Because Miss Halliwell was tested less than two weeks ago, we didn't feel the need." The doctor smiled, "We'll have her in good condition, don't you worry."

Michael paused, "I think I would feel better if you ran some tests."

"Unfortunately, there isn't the time." The doctor apologized.

"You want to run some tests," Michael said with a smirk, "You wouldn't want to get a malpractice suit."

"That's true," the doctor agreed, "I wouldn't want a malpractice suit."

"So you'll run the tests?" Michael asked suggestively.

The doctor smiled, "I'll get right on that."

"Thank you." Michael smiled back.

Wyatt came out the corner, "You did it, Michael!" Wyatt said gratefully, "Thank you so much." he quickly hugged his cousin, "Thank you for helping me."

Michael smiled, "It's good to know my power actually helped someone for once."

Wyatt nodded, "That was it, sorry for taking up some of your Sunday."

Michael merely grinned, before finding a spot to fade out.

* * *

"I hate needles." Emma complained to Chris.

"At least it's over now." Piper said gingerly to her daughter, "I'm glad they decided to do a blood test at the last moment."

Chris, Emma, Piper and Leo walked the halls to the main lobby and were surprised when they saw Phoebe, Paige, Their husbands and all their children. Wyatt was dressed in normal clothing, standing next to Alana and Bianca.

Their smiling faces excited Emma, "Thanks so much for coming everyone." she choked out, unable to hold back a grin.


	29. Advised

So this chapter begins off sweetly enough. Chris was so pretty on Charmed and that causes me to make his character happy all the time. Though, I'm pretty logical in nature, so I realized how unrealistic it would be for a parent to have a perfect life with their child so I brought in his family to knock some sense into Chris. Poor Chris, his happiness must be sacrificed for realism.

So, by nature I am researcher. I was looking up things about pregnancy, like ultrasound information for the segment in the doctor's office. One website had a man asking if it was possible for his three month pregnant girlfriend to get pregnant while already pregnant and I was like ....0_0;;;? Hahaha. My god.

* * *

_Mid-December_

Chris stood in the obstetrician's office, he bravely held his wive's hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"How are you today Mr. and Mrs. Halliwell?" An older woman asked when she entered the room.

"I'm good, thank you." Chris said politely to the gynecologist.

Bianca looked a bit worn out, but smiled, "I've been doing well. My feet have been swollen lately."

The gynecologist nodded, "That is quite normal during pregnancy. There are few ways to help with the swelling, which include drinking more water, eating less salty food and doing simple water aerobics."

The gynecologist then went through a few charts, "When you were in November, you had barely reached the sixteen week mark. You were actually a bit farther along than we had expected," the gynecologist smiled, "So you should be at the twenty-week mark. Would you like an ultrasound?"

Chris felt his heart beat faster and faster, now more than ever was he nervous about being a father. 'I'm barely twenty-three.'

The gynecologist explained to Chris and Bianca how she was going to put a dollop of gel onto Bianca's stomach and move the ultrasound device over the stomach, allowing them to see an image of their child.

Bianca and Chris both tried the best they could to silence the doubts in their head. As the gynecologist put a dollop of the gel on her stomach, Bianca squeezed on Chris' hand harder. He in turn, kissed her forehead, "We'll be fine." he whispered.

As the wand was placed over her stomach, the gynecologist began to speak, "This is your child's heartbeat. Your baby's heartbeat is normal, which means they are doing well."

Chris smiled as he saw the baby move just a bit. The gynecologist then looked at the couple, "Would you like to know the sex of your child?" she asked encouragingly, when she saw their nervous faces.

Bianca looked at Chris curiously, he slowly nodded and Bianca agreed. The gynecologist moved the transducer a little lower and smiled, "It looks like the two of you are going to have a baby girl."

Chris felt his heart flutter when he heard this remark, "A girl." he whispered, unable to express all the joy he felt at once.

"Sally, the technician has taken a few sonograms for the two of you." The gynecologist added, then smiled, "Congratulations to the two of you. I'll be seeing you in about a month. If you have any questions, feel free to call the office and I'd be happy to answer any questions and concerns."

"It's a girl," Bianca said to her husband and turned to see him with tears in his eyes, "Sweetie, are you okay?

Chris laughed, through his tears, "I've never been so happy." he answered, "Sorry that I'm a wreck." He murmured embarrassedly.

Bianca brought his head to her shoulder, "You're fine." she kissed his cheek, then look at him with earnest, "I love you more than anything Christopher Halliwell and our daughter will always know what love she originated from."

Chris kissed his wife passionately, 'I'll be the best father possible.' He pledged. Every doubt in his mind about how he would do as a father was silence when he thought of his baby girl, she would be the center of his universe.

* * *

"That's a joke." Wyatt laughed, a smirk appeared on his lips, moments later.

"Wyatt," Leo chastised with a smile, "Don't be mean to your brother."

"Dad, I think he can handle it. He's twenty-three, not seven." Wyatt complained, "You pretty much just idealized your entire pregnancy."

"I don't get what is funny." Chris answered Wyatt, obviously annoyed at his brother's laughter.

"Babies are not a bouquet of Roses, Chris," Wyatt explained to his brother, "Pregnancy is messy, filled with: fighting, preparing, strains on your income and that's before the baby arrives."

"I know that." Chris lied.

'I should know that, anyway.' He chastised himself.

"Do you?" Leo asked his son gingerly, "As much as I dislike Wyatt's approach, he's right. Babies need constant care: feeding them, cleaning them, comforting them and for the first few months, they don't sleep through the night."

"Why did you have to ruin my 'baby high?'" Chris demanded, his bubble deflated.

"You made a critical error in word choice, little bro," Wyatt teased, "You said that you would be the best father possible, instead you should have said you would try to be the best father possible. You basically made an empty promise to my niece. I had to get revenge for her."

Chris sighed, laughing tiredly, "I just want to do everything right."

"You can't do everything right, Chris," Leo answered him honestly, "You just need to be there for your child and love them unconditionally."

Chris looked at his father for a moment and knew that his father had loved him unconditionally. Before he and his present counterpart had assimilated into one mind, he had often gone on about how his father had always supported him in all of his endeavors. Leo had really made amends for the mistakes of the past.

"What else do I do, Dad?" Chris asked softly, "There is a little girl that I haven't even met yet and I already love her so much. I just know that if I hurt her, that it would kill me."

"That's why I'm glad I had a boy first." Wyatt joked, then wiped the smirk off his face when seeing Chris' glare, "You know who is really good with this parenting stuff?" Wyatt asked him.

Chris stared at Wyatt curiously.

* * *

"She is beautiful, Chris." Piper said tearfully as she kissed her son's head, "I'm so happy for you. You deserve this so much."

Chris arched his brows, "Really? Because Wyatt made it seem like a punishment."

"Bite your tongue, Christopher Perry Halliwell," Piper said angrily, "Your daughter should never have to hear that her father thought of her in such an awful way."

Chris put his head down guiltily, he knew his mother was right. 'Why do I always let Wyatt get to me?' He asked himself.

Piper smiled a toothily, "She has your nose," she announced, "And if she has half the heart you do, she'll be an angel."

"She's part-whitelighter, Mom," Chris teased happily, "She's already an angel."

"I wonder if she'll be half as neurotic as you..." Piper mused lightly.

"I won't give her the chance," Chris said as took a bite of cookie his mother had given him, "She won't ever have to worry about being hurt or left behind."

"You can't prevent all problems, sweetie," Piper said gingerly, "You can try to do the best you can, but in the end, it's all about loving your child. You won't be able to control their lives forever."

Chris noticed her grammar change from speaking of one child, "his child" to their lives, which he assumed referred to himself and his siblings.

"If I get close to my daughter, I'll be able to protect her forever." Chris reasoned.

"You don't know if your life will end up that way. Your brother is especially close to your father. You and I are especially close. Your little sister, on the other hand, has always been extremely independent and has never been closer to one parent over the other."

"I just want her to be able to come to me when something is wrong, whether it's a scratch or for help on her homework." Chris admitted.

"What about boys?" Piper asked her son.

"Well, I have to focus on this child before I have another one." Chris answered her, slightly confused.

Piper laughed, "I meant with your daughter. Are you going to help her when a boy breaks her heart?"

"That won't happen," Chris said matter-of-fact, "Boys won't come near her until after she's graduated college."

"The overprotective type, huh?" Piper asked with a chuckle, "I should have figured you the type."

"There is no such thing as overprotective parents, Mom." Chris replied, "Just well-prepared individuals."

"Uh-huh," Piper smirked at him, "I'm pretty sure you married Bianca before the two of you were out of college. Does that mean I wasn't well-prepared?"

"I'm one of the good guys," Chris said back defensively, "The rules don't apply to me."

"And when your daughter's future boyfriend repeats that line?" Piper asked, clearly amused.

"I'll kindly send him flying." Chris answered.

"Despite all your logic flaws when it comes to children, I think you'll be a wonderful father, Chris." Piper answered him, "And your Dad and I are here anytime."

"Thanks Mom, I'll probably be taking you up on that offer quite a bit for the next few months." Chris leaned against his mother.

* * *

"I heard you were picking on my best friend earlier." Alana stated as she undressed before Wyatt. She picked up a large shirt and put in on as a pajama.

Wyatt smiled at Alana. Her stomach had grown and Wyatt had thought excitedly about this baby. Would it be a boy or a girl? Often times, the few people at the hospital that knew Wyatt's wife was pregnant would ask whether he wanted a boy or a girl. Wyatt hadn't been sure initially. He already had a son, so he didn't care whether his second child was a boy or girl. He knew either way that Matthew would protect it with all his might. If it happened to be a girl... well Wyatt couldn't control Destiny's choice to repeat the cycle of Wyatt and Emma with his own children.

"I just warned him not to idealize pregnancy." Wyatt defended himself as he laid in bed next to his wife.

Alana turned to him, "Like you didn't do that with Matthew." she said pointedly.

"Exactly," Wyatt cleared up, "I love my son to death, but living in the clouds did not help me when our son was teething."

"Don't scare him Wyatt Halliwell." Alana warned, then began to giggle as Wyatt tickled her.

"I wasn't trying to." Wyatt began, but started to laugh mid-sentence, "Your laughter is like sunshine." Wyatt laughed more, "It's something everyone should experience and should never go too long without."

Wyatt saw the youthfulness in Alana's laugh, like that of a teenager. It made him feel bad that he had married her so young, without letting her live first.

"Very smooth, Mr. Halliwell." Alana said and buried her head into his chest.

"What do you want our baby to be?" Wyatt asked Alana.

Alana looked up with a simple smile, "A baby girl. I want to dress her up and take her shopping with me."

"Even if it's a girl, Lana," Wyatt began, "Doesn't mean it will be a girly girl. Have you met my sister?"

"I'll just have to make her a girly girl." Alana answered him with a kiss on the forehead, "I'm tired, sweetie. Good night."

"Night." Wyatt murmured as her too fell asleep.

* * *

"A girl. A girl. A girl!" Alana repeated excitedly as she pulled into the parking lot for Bay Social Services.

"You sound as excited as I am." Chris laughed as he unbuckled his seat belt.

"Well, I figure if my kid is boy then I can steal yours." Alana reasoned with a big grin.

"And if you're child is a girl?" Chris asked her, in a joking tone.

"Then I'll take them both shopping." Alana answered him, she looked at him, "I am really happy for you, Chris."

"Thanks." He smiled, "I never been this excited about anything."

"And don't listen to anything my dork husband says to you," Alana added with a smirk, "He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"So you're going to help me?" Chris suggested.

"Yes and my advice will be more valuable than Wyatt's, because I've actually been pregnant before. He just got to watch. I'll make sure you and Bianca fight less than Wyatt and I did."

"I think World War II was less violent than you two during your pregnancy." Chris teased her.

Alana tried to push him, but failed to make him budge, "You shouldn't be that hard to push." She complained.

"Mom's cookies are making me fat." Chris explained.

Alana looked at his stomach, "Does Bianca know you're gaining the baby weight for her?" she asked him.

"You're so mean to me." Chris laughed, though he was grateful someone had an optimistic outlook.


	30. Forward

Author's Note: Hey everyone, finally an update :)

I've been wasting time lately, which makes me want to study abroad. This a bad idea because not every country has a criminology program, that and I'm a broke college student.

Ah. I missed Fan Fiction, I don't know how I survived without it last semester. I've been reading and writing it since sixth grade.

Klutz242, I love your storyyy:) Definitely keep it.

* * *

_Mid-December _

Chris knew he was being selfish, but he didn't care.

If he planned to be a social worker, then he would have to learn how to work in the field without his counterpart's assistance.

He picked up a hardcover textbook titled 'Social Work in the 21st Century'. Chris wondered to himself how a book created twenty years ago, nearly six years into the century could so accurately reflect practices for the next ninety-four years to follow.

He opened the textbook to page 34 and began to read a page on psychosocial assessment. He frowned when he read this line, _"Many people who have experienced violence in their lives do not remember the violent situation and may have repressed (forgotten) it..."_

Chris did not find the word "repress" to be an accurate synonym with the phrase "to forget". Many people do not choose to forget an event, but to repress something is to push the memory outside of your mind with force.

Chris knew this especially, because each time he had helped the Charmed Ones before being revealed, he had to suppress his childhood idolizations of his mother.

He skipped over a few pages until he reached page 40. The subheading on this page read _"Responding to clients with warmth, genuineness and empathy."_

'I can do that,' Chris mocked, then he sighed, 'I need to tone down the sarcasm or I will never get this right.'

He began to read the text under the subheading and closed his eyes guiltily. _"This means that the social worker is a real human being and not acting out a role."_

'Acting out a role is all I know how to do,' Chris heard himself think, 'I don't know anything about this version of Bianca. I don't know how to act genuine around Wyatt, sometimes I want to say something mean when I see him joke around with Bianca. I don't know anything about my cousins... Nothing I do is real.'

'Your self-pity is pretty real.' Present Chris joked lightly, making himself very apparent, 'Let them be your family. You are me. It's sad. I didn't want to be you. By the way, Sally Sensitive, that is also a joke. When I see Bianca and Wyatt I do say something mean like 'you two are losers. we finished high school years ago.' Dude, you're like my hero. Chill out with all the angst, I'm totally fine sharing my wonderful world with you.'

Chris laughed aloud, 'You're almost charming, when you aren't butting in.'

Present Chris took control of their body for a moment and pressed the tip of his finger onto some of the text, 'Read that.'

Chris regained control of the body and scanned the text and read aloud,

"_The client says 'Sometimes I feel really depressed'_

_The worker responds, 'If you worked harder at your problems you wouldn't feel that way.'"_

"I don't get it," Chris added a moment later, aloud to his counterpart, "What does that mean?"

Present Chris took control of the body, answering, "That is you and your conscious. You feel upset and need to be comforted, but instead you tell yourself that you should work harder. According to the book, you've scored 1.5 out of 4 on the empathy scale."

Both Chris' laughed in unison, Present Chris then smiled, "Don't be like that. I used to be like that. Until I started to rely on my family and even my friends, like Alana."

"I didn't have an Alana when I was a kid." Chris corrected his Present counterpart.

"You do now." Present Chris said with a smile.

Chris felt himself surrounded by relief, "Thanks for the help."

Present Chris grinned, "I don't know how I do it."

"I do," Chris answered as he read aloud from page 49, _"Generalist social work practice focuses on empowerment of clients to solve problems and build on strengths."_

* * *

"Emma!" Leslie squealed when she saw her best friend walking the halls of Magic School.

"I missed you so much!" Emma said happily, holding onto her best friend, "Now you have to catch me up on everything. I mean, everything!"

"It's been so crazy here, lately." Leslie began, "We had to do a paper on our goals after graduation. You're never going to believe what Chad's goals are."

"To rule the underworld?" Emma snorted and waved to some friends as they continued on their way to class.

"Apparently Chad is really smart." Leslie said with disbelief, "He got into to Stanford."

Emma stopped walking, "Stanford University?" Shock colored her face, followed by confusion.

"It was in the student newsletter. At first I thought he used personal gain to trick them, but Magic School regulates that kind of stuff." Leslie shook her head, just as shocked as Emma.

"If he's so smart, then why is he so annoying?" Emma asked, even more bewildered, her and Leslie resumed walking.

"You answered that question on your own, Halliwell." Chad said with an easy grin when he shimmered in, "Good to know you recovered. I knew you would."

Emma stared at him curiously, "You seem different... what's going on with you? I don't think I've seen you wear blue since 6th grade."

"It's scary to think I've known you eight years and have survived your unbound nosiness." Chad said dryly, almost as if he was joking.

"She's right," Leslie frowned, she blinked her eyes, "You almost seem approachable. You never give off that vibe, Chad."

"I'm getting out of this school in May. Then I'm going to Stanford, who cares about the little brats here?" He said with a smirk.

"I'm not so accepting of this story. Spill, Chad." Emma commanded him.

"I'm smart. Really smart." Chad began. Emma snorted and Chad responded with a glare. "But I've always been pretty bored, so I decided to train other witches with my own method."

Emma was about to make a statement contradicting him, when Leslie stepped in with a glare, "That's a lie and you know it. You're just a bully. It doesn't matter if you're smart or not."

Chad almost seemed to smile, "Who do I bully?" It wasn't a denial statement, but literally asked who he bullied.

"Penny and Michael." Emma began angrily.

"Besides the Halliwells'." Chad said dismissively.

"US." Leslie said, sounding very hurt and yet offensive at the same time.

"She's a Halliwell," Chad managed with shrug, "And you're collateral damage."

Leslie gave him a death glare, then rolled her eyes and added, "I don't know. People with passive powers." Leslie said finally.

"No... No... NO." Emma said slowly, pausing for a second after each 'no', before she realized finally, "Why you?" she demanded. Leslie gave her a confused expression.

"I'm smart, remember?" Chad said with a smirk.

"Chad, over here, is a guardian." Emma explained to Leslie, looking quite unhappy while doing so.

Leslie didn't look any less confused, "I train future powerful witches, but activating their powers." Chad elaborated.

"How does bullying someone help them?" Leslie asked with a frown.

"It angers them," Emma mumbled, "Anger is the first trigger when it comes to magic."

"So you're a good guy?" Leslie asked, a bit more reserved now.

"Wait a minute," Emma said, looking up at him, "I froze you. So you can't be good. He must be lying."

Chad almost laughed, "You didn't freeze me. I just made it look that way. By the way, thanks for the fireball to the gut. It felt quite nice." He added a bit of sarcasm to the ending of the sentence.

"I liked you better as the bad guy." Emma managed.

"We can still be rivals." Chad offered, "Not that you'll ever beat me, but you can sure try." He smiled slightly, "I didn't intend to piss you off for the past few years, really, you obstructed magical development."

"You could have just explained what you were doing." Emma clarified.

Chad hesitated, "but that undermines the process. It has to be genuine fright for the magic to grow."

"So not only are you not stupid, but you're also not an asshole?" Leslie demanded.

Chad laughed, almost as if he was embarrassed, "Truce?"

Emma grinned, "Truce." They shook hands, "Leslie?" she asked, almost looking disappointed.

"Fine," Leslie said finally, she almost smiled, "Truce."

* * *

_Christmas Eve_

"Looks like this one is for you, Emma." Piper said as she reached under the Christmas tree.

Emma grinned, buried underneath a pile of gifts.

"Someone looks a bit too happy there." Wyatt teased her as he added a gift to Matthew's growing pile.

"Why shouldn't she be?" Chris managed in disbelief, "She has more gifts than the entire population of San Francisco."

"There are benefits to having a large family." Emma began with a smirk.

"Like this one!" Rachel said with a grin as she held up a rather large box.

"What is in that box?" Jacob asked incredulously, "A car?"

"I hope so." Rachel laughed as she eyed the box happily.

"San Francisco doesn't," Emma said dryly, "You aren't much of a driver, Rach."

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Jacob asked, "She crashed into someone else's car in driver's ed."

"Which is quite a feat, because cars created within the last ten years are impossible to crash." Emma teased.

"Wish we had those kinds of cars back when I was their age." Phoebe managed, "Then Prue wouldn't have gotten into so many car accidents when we were younger."

Piper smirked, "It's been thirty-five years and you're still bitter that she blamed you for crashing into gram's car?"

"This is for my little nephew, Carter." Phoebe said in motherly tone, as if talking to a small child.

"Aunt Phoebe," Carter said, looking completely serious, "I'm eleven. Stop treating me like a little kid."

"Oh don't worry, Carter," Paige said with a sarcastic expression, "She's going to do this way into your twenties, like she did with me."

Carter played along, feigning weakness, "How will I survive, Mom?" He pretended to faint.

"Bravo," Piper said with a smirk on her face, "This would be for you, Paige." Piper handed Paige a gift.

"Daddy, you could get me a car." Emma said in a sweet tone.

Leo laughed, "That is what orbing is for."

"Personal gain." Wyatt said dismissive.

"Well, it's much better than the personal loss to my wallet." Leo said with an easy grin.

"Demon!" Rachel called as a few demons shimmered in.

"Ugh." Emma whined and rolled her eyes, she threw her hands into the air, effectively freezing the demons in place, "Would anyone like to finish the job?"

Rachel threw a few fireballs into the air, the demons unfroze, their screams filled the air, "Warn your friends not to come by tonight!"

* * *

_January 8th, 2028._

Chris and Wyatt grinned, watching their sister sleep peacefully. "Em, wake up." Chris said softly, when they had finished decorating the room.

"Mmmmmm." Emma grumbled, turning onto her stomach and laying her head into the pillow.

"Emily, wake up." Wyatt said impatiently.

"Mmmm.... Saturday." Her brothers could hear her whine.

"Emma, if you don't wake up right now, I'm going to turn your hair green." Chris threatened.

Wyatt gave him a skeptical expression. Chris shrugged, then smirked when he saw her wake up. She raised herself up and looked around. The orange walls of her room were decorated with dark blue streamers and there were several balloons tied to a weight.

"Happy Birthday!" Her brothers shouted in unison.

Emma pursed her lips in a grateful smile, "Thanks guys, but couldn't have I slept instead?"

"We made you breakfast." Wyatt explained and gestured for the door.

Emma grinned lightly, then nervously asked, "By 'we', you mean 'Chris and Mom', right?"

Wyatt feigned offense and Chris smirked, "We wouldn't want you to get food poisoning on your eighteenth birthday."

Emma continued to grin and got out of bed, heading towards the kitchen. "Happy Birthday, Sweetie." Piper said to Emma and hugged her.

Emma's mouth watered at the sight of the chocolate chip pancakes. The pancakes were fresh, the chocolate chips melted slightly. Leo grinned, "She looks happy."

"You have no clue." Chris laughed, as he could feel her happiness as it radiated off of her.

The family of five sat down and had a nice breakfast. Emma felt grateful to spend time with her family, finally at peace with her brothers. She knew that Chris deserved to be happy and that her parents shouldn't have to worry about their children fighting all the time.

In the middle of their conversation, Matthew orbed down with a gift bow stuck to his forehead. "Birday!" He gurgled happily.

"Thanks buddy," Emma said and smiled at her nephew, "You look like you've been playing around a bit." She teased as she grabbed the bow out of his hands.

"Guess he was playing in the closet." Wyatt said and gave his son a light reprimanding look.

* * *

_February_

'Alternate Emma? Alternate Emma? Alternateeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.' Emma kept calling for her counterpart from Chris' dark future, 'I need that dress you hid from me.' Present Emma moaned, then felt an instinct tell her to look under a pile of laundry.

Emma smiled, looking at the black dress, 'It's about time I fit back into this dress. 110 pounds. My god, I never want to be that thin ever again. I prefer being 130 pounds.'

Emma felt embarrassed, knowing she had gained that weight back through a few too many brownies, 'Wait? Why am I embarrassed?' She asked and then realized the answer, 'Because brownies have no nutritional value.'

Emma felt herself bothered, 'Alternate Emma, where are you, Hello?' Emma felt stupid, a moment later for searching for herself, 'Okay, where the hell have you gone? I can feel all your nagging as if you were my subconscious.'

Emma then corrected herself, 'No... not my subconscious, I can feel your nagging as if I were doing it to myself... wait, I am doing it to myself. We've assimilated!'

Emma grinned, happy she no longer would have to share her body with another mind. The two had grown so close, they had combined. 'Maybe, I'll have some common sense at my interview.' She thought to herself, then frowned, 'HEY. I do have common sense!'

Emma grabbed the keys to the Jeep. Her parents had given it to her for her birthday. Wyatt and Chris had joked that it's not a good sign when a car is fifteen years older than the person who owns it. Still, Emma loved the practicality of the car and had been treating it well.

* * *

Emma was ten minutes into her college interview. He hair had been done, light makeup applied and she was wearing a dress that her mother would have appreciated. Emma noted to herself, not to let anyone catch her in a dress.

"So Miss Halliwell, it looks like you have 3.7 gradepoint average, that's quite an achievement." The older gentlemen said, he smiled at her warmly.

Emma was torn between disliking how much money his suit cost and liking his warm personality. She smiled, "Well, education has always been one of my top priorities."

"What are some of your other priorities and goals?" the man asked as he scribbled onto a notepad.

"My number one priority is my family," Emma answered softly, "Growing up with such a large family, full of so many children, made me want to be a teacher."

The older man smiled, as if he could relate, "And do you have any job experience or experience in the field of teaching?"

Emma thought to herself, a bit amused,_ 'I'm the future moral guardian of the three most powerful witches in the world.'_ Instead she answered, "I tutor my cousin, Nicole and I'm a peer tutor at my high school."

"Very good," the man scribbled more onto the notepad, "And what are your talents?"

'_Destroying demons.'_

"I'm good with martial arts. I'm a library assistant at school. I'm really good with children. I gained my experience with children from watching my nephew and cousins."

The older man smiled, "And what are some words you would use to describe yourself?"

Emma answered that easily enough, "Passionate, Proud and Protective."

"3 p's," The man said with a scribble, then looked at his watch, "Well this was a nice conversation, Miss Halliwell. Berkley University hopes to contact you soon."

* * *

Emma parked the car and hopped out. She peered through the front door to see if anyone was home and grinned when she found the living room to be empty. She quietly opened the door and headed for her bedroom.

"Hey kiddo." Chris said as he orbed into the room, he grinned, "You're wearing a dress again."

Emma grumbled, "I had a college interview."

"Yeah? for USF?" Chris asked her.

Emma smirked, "For Berkley University."

"You're way too smart for Berkley U, Em." Chris said, "Why not go to USF?"

"Bite your tongue, if Aunt Phoebe heard you say that, she wouldn't be happy." Emma chastised lightly, "I'm just keeping my options open."

"Hey," Wyatt said when he closed the door, "How were your days? Nice dress, by the way, Emily."

Emma stuck out her tongue, "It was fine. How was your shift?"

"Exhausting," Wyatt said with a sigh as he sat on the couch, "I'm wiped out."

A moment later a glass of water orbed into Emma's hand, she gave it Wyatt, who thanked her.

"Emma had her college interview today." Chris said sneakily.

"Really? Did you like USF?" Wyatt asked her.

"It was at Berkley U," Emma corrected as she sat next to Wyatt, "I like Berkley U."

"You're too smart for Berkley U, Em." Wyatt said as he took the last sip of his water.

"That's what I said." Chris tattled.

"I have a reasonable enough grade point average to attend anywhere without extremely restrictive admissions, so I'm keeping my options open." Emma explained, "That doesn't mean I have ruled USF out yet, but I want to find a good fit."

________


	31. Missed

Author's Note: Hey everyone:]]

Okay, about two or three weeks ago I forgot to mention that this story has already gotten more hits in the one month it has been up, than its previous incarnation that has been up since Summer of 2004. I'm glad you guys are reading, thanks so much:)

If you've read this story through, you'll notice the first chapter has a character recalling story to his granddaughters. This character recalls some things that they experienced and some they later heard from others. Essentially, though, the story begins to tell itself through first person. Meaning only parts of the story are told by the original narrator in chapter one.

Thanks especially to LizardMomma, your reviews keep me motivated :]]

* * *

March

"Now we've cast a spell so that each student's best friend is in this class for just today. The point of this is to help all the seniors get to know each other in a way they have never explored before." Professor McKell.

Rachel and Jacob had chosen each other, instead of choosing their closest friend of the same sex. Kaylee was wary for a moment, but decided that Chad was one of her best friends too and that he knew nearly as much about her as Rachel and Jacob did.

Emma and Leslie were grinning as they stood next to each other. Jacob smiled for a moment; Leslie and Emma had been friends for a really long time.

"Emma Halliwell and Leslie Olson, you two go first." Professor McKell said, "Tell us about Miss Halliwell."

Leslie grinned for a moment, "Prudence Emily Halliwell was brought into the world on January 8th, 2010."

The classed laughed for moment. "No one was supposed to know that my name was Prudence," Emma said with a teasing smirk, "Not even the doctors at the hospital knew."

"My brilliant best friend is going to attend Santa Clara University. She even got a 80% scholarship." Leslie hugged Emma tightly, "I'm going to miss her a lot."

Emma hugged her best friend back tightly. Leslie continued on, "Emma's biggest fear is needles and her specialty is vanquish. Her favorite flower is the Sunflower and she loves sweets. Her mom might be the world's best cook. She would rather go to the beach than play in the snow."

Emma looked up, "Leslie Hope Olson was born on February 5th, 2010. In seventh grade, Leslie checked out her 1000th book out of the school library."

Students around the class chuckled, knowing full well how bookwormish Leslie could be, "Leslie goes to Disney Land every summer and it took her three tries to pass her driver's test." The class laughed at Leslie's unfortunate inability to parallel park, "Leslie has been accepted into Santa Cruz University. She's going to be right on the beach and I just know you're all as jealous as I am." Emma finished.

"Very good, you two may step down from the stage." Professor McKell said as he congratulated the girls on their future plans, "Kaylee Marino and Chad Godfrey are next."

Kaylee and Chad stood up on stage. Chad almost looked uneasy, before grinning, "Kaylee Marino was born on December 21st, 2009. She and the rest of her family moved to California in 2016 from Pennsylvania. Kaylee enjoys making bets with others and usually claims an unusual prize, usually tricking Jacob into conjuring her food." The class laughed for a moment, "Her specialty is spellcasting."

"That's not my only specialty." Kaylee joked lightly.

"How could I forget. Kaylee also specialized in prevention of exposure. She'll be attending Berkley University, studying social psychology."

Kaylee hugged Chad for a moment, then smiled joyfully, "Chad Godfrey is your class valedictorian. He is brilliant. He was born on February 14th, 2010."

The class laughed, believing that Kaylee had made a joke.

"Chad has a 4.5 gradepoint average, he's only gotten one B in his entire history of Magic School. Anyone want to guess in what class?" Kaylee teased.

"Power control!" Rachel shouted to Kaylee. The group began to laugh, remembering sixth grade Power Control classes. Chad could never focus precisely enough.

"Thanks Rach." Chad said dryly back to his girlfriend, "You better avenge my misfortune, man." he addressed Jacob.

"Most of you know Chad for being less than friendly, in fact, Chad was given the honor by Headmaster Leo of being a guardian. Guardians train young good witches in physical combat. Chad's a vegetarian, but will eat endless pounds of cheese. He was accepted into Stanford University and wants to study economics."

"Wait!" Emma responded back, "Did you say that the Headmaster assigned Chad as a guardian?"

"That's right." Kaylee answered, looking confused.

"Very nice, now the next pair. Jacob and Rachel Halliwell," Professor McKell looked at them with arched brows, "This won't be much fun, the two of you are twins."

Rachel and Jacob went on stage, "My baby twin brother was born on September 28th, 2009. He's been my best friend since age eight.-" the class laughed. Jacob didn't look amused, Rachel smiled as if to say 'I'm kidding', "Jacob has an entire shelf in his room dedicated to books on inventing. He thinks the Mona Lisa is the most overrated piece of artwork he's ever encountered."

A few students shook their heads in disagreement.

Rachel glared at her classmates, "I think that too," she sneered, then went on after receiving a chastising expression from Professor McKell, "Jacob is going to attend University of San Fransisco. Oh! I forgot to add that Jacob won our third grade spelling bee." she smiled fondly.

"Thanks for sharing that one, Rach." Jacob joked and then began his introduction, "Rachel and I are twins, obviously you know that. So you should have figured out she was born on September 28th, 2009. Rachel is probably the best person I know, despite her innate stubbornness."

Rachel hugged her brother when he said that and he continued, "Rachel is allergic to strawberries. She is a terrible driver. Rachel has three bottles of Vitamin C tablets in her room, ready at all time, because she hates getting sick more than anything."

Jacob paused for a moment, "Chad said I had to reveal something embarrassing..." he thought for a moment, then grinned, "When Rachel gained the power to become invisible, she once became invisible for a whole day and when people didn't acknowledge her, she thought she had died."

Laughter erupted, before Jacob came to a conclusion, "She wants to study business at San Francisco State University in the Fall. It's going to be the first time apart from my sister, I'm going to miss her a lot. "

* * *

"What are you up to, Mikey?" Jacob asked as he sat next to his brother,

"I am writing a report of Warren witches. I wish I cared more." Michael admitted as he skimmed through a large book, with several pages of history and an occasional photo every few pages."

"You can't care. You're a Warren witch." Jacob said, "The history might be fascinating the first time you hear it, but after a week, it gets old."

"Don't you do dare say that, Jacob Halliwell. Zorlaf may come after you too." Phoebe teased her son lightly, she had a tray with a glass of tea in her hand.

"You're trying to keep them young on purpose, Phoebe." Coop joked to his wife.

"Dad, you're home." Jacob and Michael said at the same time, both obviously ecstatic.

"Sorry about being gone for two days, this girl was just as stubborn as your mother." Coop joked.

"But you got her to find love?" Michael asked curiously.

Jacob had a look on his face that said, 'Who cares?'

Coop smiled, "Yeah, she and her boyfriend are going to do well."

"Daddy!" Katie shrieked happily when she saw her father.

"Peach," Coop said happily to his daughter as he lifted her from the ground, "I missed you every second I was gone."

"I missed you too, Daddy." Katie whined with a frown, "I made you a picture though."

Coop smiled, "I can't wait to see it." He said and kissed her forehead, "Why don't you find your picture and I'll be up to your room in a minute."

"Kay, Daddy." Katie said and ran along.

"I miss you a lot, Sweetie." Coop said to his wife and kissed her cheek, "So boys, how was school?"

"I'm reading about Warren witches," Michael lifted up his book, "Again..." he complained.

"Seniors spent the day bonding." Jacob said with a shrug, "It was cool."

"I remember when Chris and Alana had senior bonding day," Phoebe said with a laugh, "She told the entire class that Chris loved to keep Febreeze in his room."

"Like that's a surprise." Jacob answered, "Chris is a little neat freak."

"Be nice, Jake." Michael chastised, a bit distracted by his reading.

"I'm going to miss you as the voice of reason." Jacob said with a grin, "Who is going to tell me what a horrible person I am?"

"I will." Rachel said as she faded in.

"Not when you're ten miles away, Rach." Jacob corrected her.

"You can't be mad at me for choosing SFSU, Jacob." Rachel admonished him, "I have the right to attend college where I want."

"But you got into USF, why wouldn't you go there? It's a better school!" Jacob questioned her.

"For you. Not for me," She turned to Coop, "Dad, we missed you. Try not to disappear for so long."

"Sorry Ladybug," Coop said and gave his daughter a hug, "Did you have a good day?"

"I did." Rachel said with a grin.

* * *

Chris had finally began to get the swing of things. He had helped countless people and that had made the work worthwhile, though each time he let someone down, it only made it harder to keep up his efforts.

Being a social worker wasn't supposed to be natural to him; He had always imagined himself in a more technical field.

Chris looked at the Book of Shadows, noticing all the updated entries and many entries that apparently he, Wyatt, Emma and other members of the family had created. He smiled at the collaborative effort.

Chris was confused when a strong wind began to blow in the Attic, he covered his eyes with his arm and when he opened his eyes, he noticed a young girl struggling against the wind.

The wind finally stopped and the young girl opened her eyes, she looked at him without any emotion in her eyes, but Chris could feel her pain. "I don't want to be here, take me back!" the girl shouted to the waning wind, "I don't want to be here..." she mumbled to herself sadly.

Chris stared at the girl, "Who are you?" he finally asked her.

Chris felt the girl's heart sink when he made that remark. The girl took a deep breath, "I've missed you so much and you don't even know me yet."

Chris, confused by this remark, changed his question, "When did we meet?"

The girl hesitated, "We haven't yet, Chris. You're not him." She went on a moment later, "I don't even know where I am, but I need to go home."

"This is the Halliwell Attic," Chris answered carefully, "I'll try to get you home if you tell me where that is and maybe, who you are."

"I'm Piper Ainsley Halliwell, but you called me Ainsley," she sounded heartbroken when she said that, as if searching for a long lost friend, "I'm from the future." Chris so badly wanted to believe she was a demon, but he instinctively knew that Ainsley was being truthful with him.

Chris shook his head, "This family has a serious problem with time travel." Chris softened when he felt Ainsley's dejection, "So who are you exactly?"

The girl couldn't be older than nine, with medium length brown hair and light brown eyes.

Ainsley hesitated and Chris gently held her hand, "Kiddo, I can't take you back to where I don't know."

"I'm sorry." She choked out, through tears, "I didn't expec-" she sniffled some more, "I missed you and you won't meet me like he did."

Chris orbed in a glass a water, "Like who did?"

Ainsley took a sip of the water, "When I was six, I was sent to 2003 to save my family and I met you..."

"I'm sorry, I don't remember meeting you." Chris answered her honestly.

"Because you didn't. A different you did." Ainsley corrected him.

A question had been bugging Chris for several minutes, "Are you my daughter?" he asked her finally.

Ainsley smiled, but answered with a whisper, "No."

"But you know her." Chris stated, "I can tell. You've met her before."

Ainsley took another sip of her water, "She's my mom."

Chris' eyes widened, "You're my granddaughter." It made sense, she had seemed so familiar to him. She had so much of Bianca in her, her eyes and her nose, her sad smile...

"A demon of desire sent us through time." Ainsley went on, "I guess to wherever we wanted to go most..."

"Who else did he send through time?" Chris asked, now frowning.

"My mom, My dad and my sister Phoebe." She said, "And I don't know how to find them."

___________________

"Hey Sweetie," Piper said when she was Chris, her eyes shifted to Ainsley, "Who is this?"

Chris felt Ainsley's heart sink a bit at that remark, but he distracted himself, "Mom, this is Ainsley. You're great-granddaughter."

Immediately, Chris could feel Piper worrying, "A demon from the future put me here. My family is lost in time too." Ainsley admitted.

"Coop!" Piper called suddenly and he instantly appeared.

He smiled, "Piper, Chris. How are you?"

"My great-granddaughter apparently time traveled and she needs to go home." Piper explained incredulously.

Coop looked amused, "What's your name, kiddo?"

"Ainsley." She answered, almost meekly.

"They're going to get you home." Coop smiled at her, "Don't you worry a bit."

Coop's comfort towards Ainsley also helped Chris calm down a bit. He handed the ring to Chris and explained how to use it.

Chris handed her the ring, "You have to find your sister with your heart, remember, don't try to use your head.

Ainsley closed her eyes, concentrating on Phoebe as much as possible.

When Ainsley opened her eyes, she found herself, Chris and Her great-grandmother in familiar place.

"This can't be right." She whispered.

Chris nodded, there was no way this could be right.

This was 2004.

_________________


	32. Possibilities

Author's Note: I am sooo sorry for taking forever to update. I spent most the week reading other people's stories. If you're ever looking for a good Charmed story, I've got a quite a collection in my favorites. Most of them are Chris-focused, though.

I didn't publish this chapter last weekend because I thought everyone would hate the characters. When I create a character, they stick in my head so long that I get used to them, as well as bored... Ha. Working on it!

By the way, I hate you all for making me hate Bianca. I'm kidding, of course. I guess a general consensus has been found by fanfiction writers and that is that they hate Bianca. She is always evil, a cheater or something else... haha.

* * *

Chris looked around the Manor, feeling almost uneasy. His mother rubbed his arm comfortingly for a moment. This was definitely the past Chris had lived in for a year. He recognized the furniture arrangement and the photos. There were no photos of him yet, though there were a few of an infant-aged Wyatt.

"I'm going to find out exactly what day exactly we've appeared in," Chris said suddenly, "Go hide somewhere." He said to Ainsley and his mother.

"Are you going to be okay, Peanut?" His mother asked him, her concern worrying Chris.

"I'll be fine, Mom." He hugged her, then smiled at her bewilderment, "I just needed some encouragement in case you still hate me."

"Be careful." Ainsley warned him, "If Piper doesn't know yet, you can't tell her."

Chris wondered what her experiences had been in the past, "I know." Chris nodded.

Chris walked into the kitchen to find Piper, looking quite pregnant. Chris felt relieved that he didn't have to his identity, he didn't think he could if he tried. Piper smiled, "Hey Chris, what are you doing back so soon?"

"I just came back to get something." He said quietly.

Chris could feel Piper's love for him. He could tell it took all her strength to give him his space and this made him feel terrible about avoiding her so much when he had been there.

"I'm sorry I've avoided you," Chris admitted to her finally. 'Screw the consequences,' he thought to himself, 'Mom is more important.'

"We can work on it," Piper said to him with smile, "We can definitely work on it."

Pushing Ainsley's problems aside for a moment, Chris sat on a stool in the kitchen, "Mom, you're the best mom in the world, please don't doubt that."

Piper gave him a teasing look, "Then don't leave me in the dark so often."

Chris laughed, "I won't," he hesitated, "There are just some things I can't share about the future, no matter how much I want."

"Does that mean you're not going to tell Phoebe about her daughter?" Piper teased, handing him a cookie, "She's been dying to know ever since her vision.'

"This is really good," Chris said through a bite, then he answered her question, "I can't tell Aunt Phoebe much about her daughter except that she's got quite the personality."

"So she's as enthusiastic as Phoebe?" Piper asked him, feeling encouraged, "That's good."

"Not quite... she's definitely a fighter though." Chris finished his cookie, "Phoebe would be proud of her daughter."

"Can't you tell her that?" Piper pushed him a bit.

"Rachel would kill me if I prevented her existence." Chris answered and then closed his eyes, "Forget I said that."

"Not a chance, kiddo." Piper said with a smile and then looked at him with a serious expression,

"Chris, something has been bothering me." Piper said hesitantly.

'What have I changed already?' he wondered to himself.

"What's wrong?" Chris asked, concern laced in the phrase.

"Sweetie, where did you come from?" Piper asked him finally. She gave him a warm smile, which read as, 'I'll accept you no matter where...'

"The future..." Chris said slowly. It wasn't a lie, it was more of an omission.

"Well, I know that," she rested her hand on his shoulder, "but your hair looks longer and you look a lot healthier than ten minutes ago." Piper said with a smile.

Chris sighed, fully acknowledging that he was busted, "I'm the same Chris, but I'm from 2028 instead of 2026."

"What are you doing here?" Piper asked, hugging her son tightly.

He hugged her back, "I wish I could tell you, Mom."

Piper gave him a look, but then relented, "I guess I'll have to trust you, Sweetie."

"Is that so hard?" he joked.

"So if you're from even further in the future, does that mean you'll eventually go back home?" Piper asked.

Chris smiled, "Future consequences." He kissed his mother's forehead, "Love you." he said and orbed away.

___________________

_An hour later._

Chris sensed that Ainsley and his mom had orbed into the club, probably not the best place to be. His mom and Ainsley were standing behind the door to his old room, they were eavesdropping on an argument.

He could hear himself and a young girl. He guessed the young girl was Ainsley, "What are they arguing about?" He asked.

"He's mad that I didn't tell him that I had a sister that could orb." Ainsley explained as she listened from the door, pressing her ear closer to the door.

"Why would that be a surprise?" His mom asked Ainsley.

"Because I never told Chris my secret." Ainsley explained, "I just told him about my demon part."

"You're part demon?" Chris and his mother asked Ainsley at the same time. Chris seemed the most perturbed by this bit of information, he almost looked betrayed.

"I was. I'm not anymore. That's why I came back." Ainsley replied dismissively, she then closed her eyes and concentrated on her sister. Seconds later they heard orbing sounds from the office and then a little girl appeared before them.

"Piper!" A little girl said happily. Chris guessed this was Ainsley's sister, Phoebe, "You found me."

Phoebe had lighter hair than Ainsley, her hair was also longer, thinner and smoother, she also had hazel eyes. She was shorter and obviously younger than Ainsley, Chris' mom guessed around the age of five.

"Phoebe, what are you doing here? Why would you want to be here?" Ainsley asked her in a near admonishing tone. Chris was reminded of the way Wyatt had spoken to him when they were younger.

"I missed you." Phoebe managed dejectedly. She looked like she was going to burst into tears at any given moment.

"I've been at home for six months. You shouldn't miss me." Ainsley said with a glare.

Chris could tell that Ainsley wasn't actually mad, more than anything she seemed to feel guilty.

"We can't stay." Ainsley said suddenly, "Past me will try to find Phoebe."

"There she is." Past Chris said with a roll of eyes when he and Past Ainsley re-emerged outside the office in orbs, he pointed to Phoebe, he then looked up, "Who the hell are you?" He managed nastily, almost caught between confusion and anger.

Chris knew that Past Chris was the most upset by the site of his mother.

"Chris, it's me." his mom said, looking almost hurt by his inability to recognize her.

"You died eight years ago, what kind of trick is this?" Past Chris asked with a glare.

"Hi," Chris said with a wave, "We're from the future. I'd love to watch you have a mental breakdown, but I don't have the time. Here's the short version; That is Mom, yes she is alive. This is Future Ainsley. How far in the future? Well I can't be too sure, she hasn't told me yet. We need to take her sister home. "

Past Ainsley's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Where did you come from?" she asked Future Ainsley.

"The future." Future Ainsley answered with a smile.

Chris felt a tension in the air, knowing what would happen next would not be good.

"You're lying. You're trying to stop me, but I won't let you!" Past Ainsley yelled, conjuring an athame and attempting to stab Future Ainsley.

Future Ainsley fearfully reacted by orbing away.

"Wait," Past Chris began angrily, "You are a whitelighter too?" He looked at her with a darkly, "That is not something you can just leave out of a conversation, Ainsley!"

Past Ainsley looked furious, "Why did you do that?" she yelled at Future Ainsley.

"I'm sorry," Future Ainsley said, "I didn't mean to ruin your secret. Honest!"

"Shimmer!" Past Ainsley yelled, demonstrating the power as she shimmered out and then back outside the office of the club.

Future Ainsley looked away, "I can't."

Past Ainsley looked up, her mood changing slightly, "You can't?" she asked her, holding a breath.

"Lost the power." Future Ainsley mumbled, "When I saved him..."

Chris stepped in between Past Ainsley, Past Chris and Future Ainsley, "At least you know you can trust her." He said to his past counterpart.

"Just because she's a whitelighter, doesn't mean I can trust her." Past Chris shot hotly, an obvious reference to Leo. His mother seemed hurt by the remark.

Chris closed his eyes for a moment, knowing all the effort his father had put in making things right again, "You're going to regret the things you do if you don't calm down." Chris said to himself, "Just take a breather, it's all fine. You can trust Ainsley, alright?"

Past Ainsley's tension arose once more, "How does he know?" she asked with a frown, looking at her future counterpart with anger.

"I needed his help." Future Ainsley answered guiltily, "It was easier than explaining all this to him."

"Okay, slugger." Chris said as he picked up Past Ainsley, "We need to have a talk."

"But!" Past Ainsley argued.

"Now." Chris said finally.

Past Chris emitted a negative reaction to this statement, but said nothing.

Chris and Past Ainsley orbed away.

Future Ainsley and Phoebe both apologized to each other, earning them a gentle rub on the head from their great-grandmother.

Past Chris looked at his mother with great fear, "Mom, I'm sorry I didn't save you."

His mother walked up to him, hugged him and whispered, "You're going to do it, just don't give up."

Past Chris's throat swelled up, he was unable to keep a clear head, "I've missed you so much."

"You'll see me soon, Peanut." His mother said and kissed his forehead.

___________________

"You've got quite a temper there." Chris lectured her, "You might want to cool it a bit."

"I don't want him to know, he won't treat me the same." Past Ainsley complained, "He's my friend here, not-"

"He's still your grandfather, Ainsley." Chris said to her with a gentle hug, "Or... at least he will be sometime in the future. Even though he doesn't know it yet, he already has the instincts."

"But Chris doesn't know it yet, Grappa." Ainsley mumbled to him, tears beginning to fall, "He can't know."

"Don't tell him, then." Chris agreed, he hugged her tighter, "I've heard some great things about you from the Future Version of you."

Ainsley laid her head on his shoulder, pleading, "Can I go home yet?"

Chris smiled sadly, "Not yet, kiddo."

He orbed back into the club with a sleeping Ainsley. Past Chris seemed soothed when Chris arrived. Chris handed his past self Ainsley, "Take care of her, she needs you more than anything."

Past Chris nodded, "Who is she?" Chris could feel his past self's curiosity.

"Someone important." Chris managed with a smile, "You will want to take care of her with all your heart."

"She loves you." Future Ainsley said in a matter of fact tone, "Me too." She hugged Past Chris leg, "Sorry for everything she's done and will do."

"Never give up, Sweetie." His mother said to Past Chris, "You will do it, I promise."

Chris feel his mother's hesitation and her strong desire to save Past Chris from his fate with Gideon, but she had decided against it.

* * *

Next Ainsley had focused on her father, hoping to find him quickly and avoid revealing too much about the future to her grandfather and his mother.

Piper, Chris, Ainsley and Little Phoebe arrived in Magic School. A banner hung from the ceiling, 'Congratulations Class of 2045.' Well, at least they knew how far in the future they were.

Ainsley began walking the hallways, the group kept their heels following her and eventually she stopped. She watched students in the library. There were many students roaming through the shelves, starved for knowledge. Ainsley seemed to focus on one particular group of people. She was watching a man in early forties giving a teenage boy a reassuring conversation, about what, Chris and the rest couldn't be sure.

"Daddy looks so young." Phoebe said to Ainsley and watched him curiously with a smile. Ainsley inched closer to her father, when Phoebe pulled her back, "You can't tell!" Phoebe said, in a tattling tone.

Ainsley shot a Phoebe a questioning glare as if to say, 'Why not?'

"Mommy said her and daddy became boyfriend girlfriend after Magic School." Phoebe said quietly, "So if you ruin the secret..."

"I know, I know." Ainsley muttered disappointedly, "But daddy can help!"

"No, he can't." Piper disagreed and Chris looked as her curiously, "If he's a teenager and your parents aren't together, then you don't exist yet."

Chris finally understood, "And there is no worse way to scare a teen guy than by telling him he has two kids."

Piper gave Chris a warning glance and he smiled slightly. The grouped inched forward until they noticed a teen girl approach the teen boy and the older man. She smiled at the two, giving them each a hug.

Chris could feel Ainsley's heart warming and he knew instinctively who the girl was that. "That's her." He said to Ainsley, a smile forming on his face, "She looks so happy." Ainsley's mother had medium long brown hair with lighter skin. She seemed easygoing in every movement she made and Chris could feel happiness that radiated off of her.

"She looks so different." Phoebe agreed and reached out.

"You can't, sweetie." Piper said, trying to sooth the younger girl.

"What are we going to do?" Ainsley asked Chris and Piper, "Daddy isn't here, so this is wrong."

"I don't think so." Piper disagreed, "Your heart brought you here for a reason."

"Momma and Papa look so happy." Phoebe noted. Chris noticed that the older man had left and the teenagers were sitting in two arm chairs. Ainsley's mother, 'My daughter', Chris thought with a smile, was showing Ainsley's father a picture in a large book.

He nodded and Ainsley's mother stood up with the book, before tripping over her own feet. Ainsley's father erupted into laughter, which was not an appropriate reaction, as Ainsley's mother threw the book at him. Ainsley's father, clearly surprised at the attack, jumped out of the way. Ainsley's mother pouted, but eventually was offered a hand by Ainsley's father. Chris knew instantly that two loved each other, even if they weren't in love yet.

"Those were the good days." A male voice answered Chris's thoughts.

"Daddy!" Ainsley and Phoebe yelled and jumped into his arms.

"This is your dad?" Chris asked incredulously after he had seen their father, "He looks the same age as me!"

Ainsley's father had dark brown hair and bright brown eyes, he was taller than Chris, but not by much. He looked barely over the age of twenty-five, a fact that concerned Chris. He looked incredibly familiar to Chris, but Chris couldn't pinpoint from where.

"Wow, Mr. H, you look so young." Ainsley and Phoebe's father said with a grin as he held his girls tight.

Chris ignored him, "How old are you?" he asked, trying to repress his fury at the thought of his daughter becoming a teenage parent. 'I've failed her before she's been born.'

"I didn't think that'd be the first question you would ask, but I guess if it's what you want to know... I'm twenty-nine." The girls' father answered.

"Like I thought, you're too young to be her father." Chris said impatiently as he pointed to Ainsley, 'But at least you guys weren't teenagers... not that it makes it any better.'

"We were twenty-one, Mr. H" He elaborated dismissively, "Wasn't Alana the same age?"

"How do you know about Alana?" Piper asked him suspiciously.

Ainsley's father looked confused, "She's my wife's aunt. Of course I know her."

Chris opened his mouth to say something, when Ainsley orbed out of her father's arms. Looking quite angry, she shot him a glare, "Leave daddy alone!"

"Piper Ainsley Halliwell, I expected better of you." Her father reprimanded, "You apologize to your grandfather right now."

"But daddy..." Ainsley said, looking horrified at the thought of apologizing.

"I don't know how you treated your grandfather in the past, but you will not treat him like that again. Do you understand me?" He said in a strict tone.

"Yes, daddy." Ainsley said, looking downcast, "Sorry." she mumbled insincerely to Chris.

"Piper." Her father admonished, sounding almost disappointed.

"I'm sorry, Grandpa." Ainsley said finally, a bit more sincere. Chris noticed that she looked even more child-like, "Please don't be mean to daddy."

Chris found himself surprised that his son-in-law had defended him. 'No one better to discipline a kid than their own parent.' He thought to himself.

"Uh, it's fine." Chris waved it off, "Why are you here?" He asked Ainsley's father.

"Demon of desire brought me here, to before my eighteenth birthday." Ainsley's father guessed.

"What is so special about your eighteenth birthday?" Piper asked him, still curious of her granddaughter's husband.

"It's the day I inherited my demonic powers. They laid dormant until then. So I guess I wanted to go back before I hurt my family..." He explained, though he seemed unsure.

"Hurt your family how?" Chris asked, looking for any reason not to like his son-in-law.

"I can't tell you that, but it all worked out in the end." He said weakly, "We need to get out of here, though. My wife can't see me, neither can you. If your future self sees me, or worse, he sees you, this is going to be a mess."

"What do you mean?" Chris asked.

"Well, my past self was talking to your future self. You're kind of my mentor." Ainsley's father explained. Chris felt the pain Ainsley's father felt when admitting that and Chris decided to go easier on his son-in-law.

"Alright," Chris agreed finally, "Let's find your mom, kiddo." he said to Ainsley.

Ainsley closed her eyes, focusing as much as she could on her mother.

___________________

They reappeared inside a church, "Where are we now?" Piper whispered to Ainsley's father.

"I think it's my wedding day." Ainsley's father answered. Chris could feel his confusion, wondering why Ainsley's mother had picked such a day.

"Well, if she's here, why don't we just freeze the wedding and find her?" Chris asked him.

"You can't," Ainsley's father answered, "You guys are all here. The Charmed Ones, you, your siblings, your cousins and their kids, Alexis and all the rest. They'd discover us instantly, not to mention that my wife would freak out. She didn't want any magic on our wedding day."

"So we do what then?" Chris whispered impatiently.

"We watch."

The ceremony went on for awhile. Chris noted that his daughter had three bridesmaids. Her maid of honor looked quite familiar to Chris, but he couldn't place where he had seen her before. He hated the feeling of familiarity without a resting place.

Each bridesmaid was paired with a groomsmen, culminating with the arrival of the flower girl and the ring bearer. The flower girl with brunette curls carefully put the petals on the ground. The ring bearer looked annoyed with the flower girl and trudged behind her. Smiling for pictures when necessary.

Finally, the bride arrived with her father. Chris recognized himself and realized the man who had been giving Ainsley's father reassurance, had actually been himself. So his son-in-law hadn't been lying... Then Chris was again distracted when Ainsley's mother entered. Ainsley's mother looked beautiful.

Her eyes were full of excitement. Her dress with simple, more of a classic look. When her and her father got to the front, Chris noticed that she was crying. As an empath, Chris knew her tears were from happiness, but someone in the room was not at rest.

The pastor began his speech, which Chris missed because he had gotten up discreetly to find the source of turmoil. His mother gave him a nasty glare, but Chris waved it off apologetically. He walked away from the pew and further towards the back, where he noticed a young woman sitting alone.

Chris recognized her instantly. She looked just like him!

"What's wrong?" he whispered as quietly as he could, sitting next to her in the process.

She looked at him shocked, "Dad... what are you doing here?" she whispered back.

"Your kids and your husband have been looking for you," Chris answered her, "but I'm more worried about what's wrong. You should be happy, it's your wedding day."

"I am happy," she managed through more tears, she wiped her face with a tissue, "I just miss these days so much."

"Magic-free?" Chris asked her.

"Before his demon side became rampant." She corrected, "And I know it's wrong to be so selfish, especially since Piper worked so hard to fix it... but it's not perfect."

"Nothing's perfect, kid." Chris answered her awkwardly. Like Ainsley's father, Ainsley's mother too looked very young, but he knew she had to be around the same age as her husband; nearing thirty.

"I do." Chris heard the bride say and he looked up to see his daughter and son-in-law sharing their first kiss as a married couple.

* * *

The group, which now consisted of Chris, his mother, his future daughter, her husband and her future children had finally arrived home, back in 2028.

"Chris?" Bianca called from outside the Attic, "Are you in there?"

Chris gave no reply, but shuffled a bit. Bianca caught the noise and shimmered in.

"Piper, you look just like her." Phoebe whispered excitedly.

"Woah." Ainsley agreed, "But she's prettier."

"Uh, Sweetie, who are they?" Bianca asked, halfway between irritated and confused. Ainsley's mother stared at Bianca's protuding stomach with great curiosity.

"I'm-" Ainsley's mom began slowly, "Brianna. Your daughter."

Bianca looked at her with disbelief, "You do look like a lot like your father." Bianca agreed finally and at the same time giving up any attempt to reason, "But where did you come from?"

"About thirty years in the future."

"And these little ones are yours?" Bianca asked curiously, she smiled at the little girls, who beamed back proudly.

"Piper Ainsley and Phoebe Grace." Brianna said with a smile, "Everyone thinks that Piper looks like you."

"Indeed," Bianca said, staring at Ainsley, "She looks just like I did when I was a kid... Hey! You said thirty years in the future, right?"

Brianna nodded.

"You've aged well." Bianca complimented, "You look the same age as your father. So does your boyfriend."

"I'm her husband." Ainsley's father corrected, somewhat offended. He pointed to his wedding ring and glanced to Brianna's hand, which also had a wedding ring.

"Dylan, mind your manners." Brianna chastised her husband, then explained to Bianca, "Dylan and I have been married for ten years, Mom."

"And he's a good husband?" Bianca asked her daughter, looking very protective of Brianna.

"He's okay..." Brianna said hesitantly, then grinned at her husband's expression of horror, "He's wonderful." she said truthfully.

"You could have gotten me killed, Bri." Dylan feigned a glare.

"I would have protected you, Daddy." Phoebe said sweetly.

"Thanks Gracie." Dylan said with a grin, he pet her head proudly, "You're daddy's little protector. You would never let Daddy be killed by Mommy's lies."

"That's right!" Phoebe beamed, smiling toothily.

Chris had to admit that both his granddaughters seemed to adore their father, his daughter seemed a bit more playful about the relationship. Overall, they were a beautiful family.

"You know what I cannot believe?" Emma asked impatiently as she orbed in the Attic, she paused, "Hi.." she said suddenly, "Who are you?"

"I'm Ainsley and this is my sister, Phoebe." Ainsley said with a wave.

"Dylan." Dylan said quickly.

"Hey, I know you..." Emma said to Brianna, recognizing her, "But you were younger then... why can't I remember your name?" she mused to herself.

"You've met Brianna?" Chris asked her, very interested.

"Brianna?" Emma asked her, "That's not what she called herself. She was one of Matthew's friends..." Then Emma looked up, "Wait, so you're Chris's daughter."

Chris looked at Emma, "What are you talking about?"

Brianna laughed, "This family has a serious problem with time-travel."

"Emily, what were you doing time-traveling?" Piper demanded.

"It wasn't me!" Emma said defensively, "It was your teenage grandson."

"Why don't I just explain it from the beginning..." Brianna said finally, "When I was seventeen and Matthew was twenty, he was going through a tough time in school so he went looking for someone to talk to. No one really had much time, because the family was going through something and so Matthew decided to ignore personal gain and look for someone to talk to in the past. He found a teenage Emma and planned to stick around for a while. Alexis freaked out, because everyone began to blame his disappearance on her. So the two of us and some friends went back to retrieve Matthew. Inadvertently meeting Emma in the process."

"Who is Alexis?" Chris finally managed impatiently, "I've heard her name a few too many times today. Is that Matthew's girlfriend?"

Dylan started to crack up, "She'd need a better excuse for being that annoying."

"Dylan," Brianna chastised with a dirty look, "Alexis is Matthew's sister... my best friend."

"Your Maid of Honor?" Chris asked Brianna, intrigued about Wyatt's future.

"How did you know?" Brianna asked with a nod.

"She looks a lot like her mother." Chris scratched his head, "I knew I had seen her before."

"Too bad she acts like her father." Dylan complained."

"Do they not get along?" Chris asked Brianna of the relationship between Alexis and Dylan.

"They're both hard-headed." Brianna shrugged, "But Dylan would do anything to protect Alexis. She's like a sister to him."

"So it's a girl!" Bianca asked excitedly, "Alexis and Brianna, just like their Mommies, Alana and Bianca."

Brianna sighed with a half-laugh, "And today a demon decided to send Me and my husband, as well as our children through time."

"Why did you need Coop's ring then?" Bianca asked them.

Chris gave her an interested expression, "He sent me to check up on you guys and to see if you were done with his ring." Bianca explained a bit more elaborately.

"They fell into different times." Chris explained, without going more into detail.

"Where did you fall?" Bianca asked, sounding worried on many levels.

"Here." Ainsley said dismissively.

"I don't know..." Phoebe said honestly.

"2004." Chris answered for her.

"My junior year of high school." Dylan said with a shrug.

"My wedding." Brianna finished.

____________

The group had a meal, but then Brianna decided they needed to get home before saying too much more. Between slurps of spaghetti, Phoebe had revealed an "Uncle Drew", to which Dylan chastised her. Brianna joked she didn't mind Drew disappearing. Dylan later let it slip that he was worried Vic, to which Brianna rolled her eyes.

Chris had agreed to escort them back to their time. When they arrived, Chris was greeted by a condominium. There was a living room and kitchen downstairs, as well as a singular bedroom. Dylan explained that there were two bedrooms upstairs.

As if on cue, Chris could hear a baby crying from above the stairs. Chris jumped in alarm, "You left your baby alone?!"

"Of course not!" Brianna had defended herself, when she came back with her infant son and an older gentleman, "You were watching him for me."

"That's me?" Chris asked, looking confused.

He could see some of the same features. His dark hair and bright eyes, but he had definitely aged a bit.

"I am not that old." His future self said impatiently.

Brianna smiled slightly, "Daddy is quite the empath... quite the nosy empath."

"Nosiness is a trait I grew up with, young lady." His future self corrected Brianna, then looked at Chris, "Thanks for saving our family."

"They're not my family yet." Chris said insecurely.

His future self smiled, "But soon. Then you can sit home and watch your infant grandson while your daughter reveals the entire future to her parents before she's even been born."

"Hey!" Brianna managed defensively, "That was Phoebe's fault."

"Bri, you have to do it." His future self instructed and Brianna nodded hesitantly.

Brianna walked over to Chris, taking her hands into his and squeezing them supportively, "I love you, Dad. So there are a few things you can't know." Chris's palms glowed and the light was absorbed by Brianna. Select memories had been taken, but not all of them.

Brianna had decided it wasn't fair to take all his memories, "Don't spend too much time worrying about me. You know I'll be okay, right?"

Chris smiled and he brought his daughter closer to him, "Yeah, I know."

He focused Coop's ring on home and arrived in his bedroom. He used remote orbing to return Coop's ring and then crawled next to his wife in bed. "I can't wait to meet you." He whispered to Bianca's baby bump, before falling into deep exhaustion.


	33. Gift

Author's Note: I am sooo sorry for taking forever to update. I spent most the week reading other people's stories.

If you're ever looking for a good Charmed story, I've got a quite a collection in my favorites. Most of them are Chris-focused, though.

The last chapter took forever to publish because I couldn't find the right feel to it, but I eventually worked out my kinks.

Also, here's a brief timeline:

_October: Chapters 1-11  
November: Chapters 11-28 *  
December: Chapter 29-30  
January: Chapter 30  
February: Between Chapter 30 and 31  
March: Chapter 31-33_

_*(November is so long because of all the narrative chapters)_

Nicole's nickname is Nikki, no one calls her that but Carter,  
but I feel so tempted to call her that because Carter is probably my favorite next-generationer.

Did I ever mention how much research I did on colleges in San Francisco for this story?  
A LOT. Ha. I'm a nerd.

* * *

It was Nikki's seventh birthday and she wanted everyone to be there.  
This included each aunt; Piper and Phoebe.  
As well as their husbands: Leo and Coop.  
Along with several cousins: The twins, Michael, Katie, Wyatt, Emma and Chris.

Nikki had made the boys promise to get the night off for her party.  
When her aunts had asked her where she wanted to go for her birthday dinner,  
she answered immediately "Truly Charmed", her Aunt Piper's restaurant.

Luckily, March 27th had been a warm evening, so the group had dressed casually and had gotten a table in the back reserved.  
Nikki liked it better this way, they could talk freely.

"So, Em, have you decided which dorm you're going to live in?" Jacob asked, taking a sip of Pepsi.

"I'm stuck, I've heard the university is great. I heard housing sucks." Emma admitted as she took a bite out of a piece of bread.

"Why are you even looking for housing?" Wyatt asked confused.

"Because I need a place to live?" Emma asked him, "I want to get that experience."

"Dorms are gross," Rachel agreed, "But the experience is the entire reason I'm getting a dorm at SFSU."

"You're moving out?" Wyatt asked Emma with a frown.

"Wy, you know that Santa Clara is fifty miles away. You can't expect me to drive an hour each way, everyday." Emma reasoned with him.

"I thought you were going to orb to school." Wyatt said, still looking unhappy, "Why do you want to move away, anyways?"

"Santa Clara University is a good fit," Emma shrugged defensively, "Better than BU?" She joked.

"Berkley University is closer." Wyatt complained, "You should be going to USF."

"Come on, Wyatt," Emma said cheerfully, "Jakey, here, is caring on your precious legacy."

"USF for sure." Jacob agreed, "Nothing better. Close to home. Close to quality. Close to-"

"My wallet, for one." Phoebe whined quietly to her sisters, who smiled.

"I'm glad my kids aren't there yet." Paige agreed, "But in three years, I'll feel you, sis."

"The first one to move out, never thought it'd be you, Em." Wyatt said sadly, "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm moving an hour away, I'm not dying. Besides, Chris moved out two years." Emma said to him, a bit impatient.

"I moved next door, though." Chris explained to her, "You're going to come around often, right?"

"Of course I'm going to come around often," Emma frowned, "Don't make me nostalgic six months before I move."

"Hey! Remember when this was Nikki's birthday?" Carter asked Wyatt, coming to the aid of Emma.

Nikki smiled, "I don't mind, Cart."

"I do, Nikki," Carter said to her, "You need to stick up for yourself."

"Okay, cool it." Paige said to her son.

"No, he's right," Wyatt said with a smile, "So, Nikki, now that you're seven, what is the first thing you're gonna do?"

"I don't know, what can I do?" She asked him, confused.

"How about a movie with cousin Wyatt?" He offered her with a smile.

"Really, Wy?" she asked him with an excited smile.

"Sure, anything for you." Wyatt said, hugging her, "I have to hang out with you before you're too cool for your old cousin Wyatt."

Piper smiled, "Remember when you were too cool for you little brother and sister?"

"I'm still too cool for them." He teased Chris and Emma.

Both snorted in response, "Hey Chris, remember Wyatt's hair circa 2017?" Emma asked him.

Rachel, Jacob, Chris and Emma began to laugh hysterically. Wyatt glared in response.

"Hey Nikki, who is cooler, me or Wyatt?" Chris asked his cousin.

"Wyatt's taking me to a movie." Nikki said with a giggle.

"Nikki is so sharp!" Rachel said with a grin, "She had to channel Aunt Paige somehow."

"Heyyy," Paige said defensively, "Are you saying I manipulate others to get what I want?"

Rachel only smiled in response.

"She's on to me." Paige joked.

"If I take you to two movies, then who is cooler?" Jacob asked Nikki.

"You are." She said with a grin.

"She's playing us against each other," Chris said seriously, "I say none of us take her to a movie."

Nikki frowned, "I'm sorry."

Michael smiled at her, "They were kidding, Nikki."

Jacob, Wyatt and Chris looked at her lightly, "We didn't mean to hurt your feelings, of course we'll take you to a movie." Chris explained to his cousin, trying to soothe her.

"Boys just aren't sensitive, are they, Nikki?" Bianca asked, grinning.

"Not at all," Nikki frowned, "Hey Miss Bianca, what are you going to name your baby?"

"You don't have to call me Miss Bianca, Nikki. We're family," Bianca said to her, "And we don't know yet."

Emma and Piper frowned, both thinking 'How could she not remember Brianna's name?'

* * *

Chris eventually realized that Emma knew his daughter's name and spent several hours trying to convince her to spill.

Emma just mumbled the same thing each time, "There is a reason she wanted you to forget."

"If you don't tell us, we're going to pick a horrible name." Chris threatened.

"That impacts your daughter, not me." Emma had shrugged.

"Fine." Chris said and pulled a notebook from under the book. He wrote his name and then Bianca's, "Bianca and Chris... Chrisanca?"

"Chrisanca," Emma asked him, giving a disbelieving look, "CHRISANCA? Are you kidding me?"

"Brisanca?" Chris asked.

"How about you try a real name, Chris?" Emma said finally, in disbelief.

"Christina... Brianna..." Chris murmured to himself.

Emma looked up, "What makes you think of Brianna?"

He showed her to notepad, he had taken several letters from each until it formed the name 'Brianna'.

"There is no way that is how you and Bianca named Brianna." Emma managed, "That would be the least creative means possible!"

"So that's her name!" Chris said victoriously, "Brianna Halliwell." he smiled a bit, "I like it."

"Yeah, and it's a family name too." Emma said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, maybe you should have told me that before I almost named her Chrisanca. " Chris said to her dryly.

"I'm pretty sure if you named her Chrisanca, she would have come all the way back to the past just to convince you otherwise." Emma said haughtily.

"Well sorry, I don't remember everything. Just parts. Like I know she was with some guy named Dylan." Chris murmured to himself, "And that she had children... but I can't remember them."

"I wonder if Alexis has children." Emma mused.

"Who is Alexis?" Chris asked her confused.

"Guess she didn't want you to know that either." Emma said curiously and then orbed out.

_____________

"Good, you're here." Jacob said as he handed Emma a bag.

"Chris kept me around." Emma explained.

"Why?"

"He wanted to know what to name his daughter." Emma shrugged.

Jacob frowned, "Isn't that something he should come up with on his own... with his wife?"

"Except that I know his daughter's name." Emma elaborated.

"Then why didn't you tell him?" Jacob asked, still frowning.

"Like you said, it's something he should come with on his own."

"Emma, stop being difficult. If you can save time, do it." Jacob chastised.

"Where is Rachel?" Emma questioned, changing the subject.

"I'm here!" Rachel said apologetically, "Hey Em." she hugged her cousin.

Emma and Jacob exchanged strange glances, "Jacob decided not to bind his powers." Rachel explained to Emma.

"I didn't know you were still thinking about it, Jacob." Emma said, looking concerned.

"It was a big decision to make." Jacob said hesitantly, "But, if I'm going to help Katie and the rest with their training, I should probably keep my powers."

"Only out of obligation?" Emma asked, "Not because you want to?"

"Well, no... I want to, I guess. I just don't want my conjuring power to corrupt me."

"I didn't know you thought about things like that." Emma said, she was uncharacteristically sympathetic.

"Well, I can conjure anything. Money, weapons, cars..." Jacob shook his head, "But, I know it'd be wrong to do that. It bugs me that they-" he looked up,  
"Have given me such a personal gain power."

"But you think about it," Rachel said defensively, "So they probably gave you the power because they knew you could deal with it."

"Thanks so much for helping me do this, guys." Emma said appreciatively, "It means the world to me."

"Well of course," Rachel grinned, "Besides, now I don't have to get him my own gift."

"That's selfish." Jacob joked.

* * *

Jacob sighed tiredly, they had been painting the room for what seemed like forever.

Emma and Rachel had been placing decals on the wall, they had also accented the wall with different kinds of decals.

The pastel green paint was a nice, neutral color. Emma had explained that she thought pink would manipulate the baby into femininity.

Jacob had rolled his eyes, but with his obvious dislike for the color Pink, he agreed.

After cleaning up some of the mess, the group admired the room.

They heard orbs, prompting Rachel to grab both Emma and Jacob and to become invisible.  
The group held their breath as Chris called out, sounding bewildered, "Hello?"

Jacob instinctively faded with both Rachel and Emma holding to him.

Chris walked into the room where he had heard the noise and was surprised to see it had been decorated.  
The walls had been painted a nice pastel green color, decorated with pastel pink flower decals and the name "Brianna" spelled out.  
Underneath the name, was the word "virtue".

There was a crib set up, with a custom made blanket. Embroidered in the blanket were the words, "little blessing".  
Purple bows had been tied to the crib, which were accentuated by the purple butterfly decals on the wall.

In the corner of the room was a rocking chair, a rather large bunny plush sat on top.

Chris was stunned, all he could do was called out "Bianca!"

She appeared a moment later, holding a few bags, "I was coming in." she explained, putting the bags down, "What's wrong?"

"Look." Chris stammered, as he pointed to the room in front of him.

Bianca looked into the room, stunned, "It's beautiful, Chris." Bianca said softly, tears forming in her eyes, "You did a wonderful job."

"I didn't do it." Chris managed, still shocked.

Bianca laughed gently, "Well, who loves the color green more than anything?"

Chris looked at her, he only knew one person who preferred the color green more than himself and that was his sister, "I'm going to my parent's, do you want to come?"

Bianca shook her head, "I need to pick up some things at the store."

* * *

"Hey Mom?" Chris called from the foot of the stairs.

"In the kitchen!" Piper answered, her voice echoed.

Chris went over to the kitchen, "Have you seen Emma, she's not in her room."

"What, no 'Hi Mom, how was your day?', not even a hug?" Piper teased her son.

Chris smiled, hugging his mother, "How was your day?"

"Good," Piper responded as she grabbed a few things from a cupboard, "And no, I haven't seen your sister."

"With the twins." Wyatt answered as he came downstairs, he was holding onto Matthew, "She went there after talking to you earlier."

"Thanks Wy," Chris said with a smile, as he orbed out he looked down on his nephew, "Love you Matty."

Matthew clapped happily.

"Do you think he'll find them?" Wyatt asked his mother.

"I hope not." Piper said, as she and Wyatt snuck out of the Manor and into Chris's home next door.

* * *

"Aunt Phoebe?" Chris called, when he orbed into the living room of her house.

"Oh Chris! What a nice surprise, did you want to stay for dinner?" Phoebe asked with a smile.

Chris looked confused, "Can you cook now, Aunt Phoebe? You couldn't where I came from."

Phoebe averted her eyes, "Still can't cook." she admitted.

Chris felt himself grin, but pushed the expression away, "Have you seen my sister?"

"She was here earlier with Jacob and Rachel, but they went out somewhere." Phoebe said with a goofy grin.

Chris eyed her suspiciously, "What's going on?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all. Now come bond with Aunt Phoebe." Phoebe pointed to a couch, she took a seat in a loveseat across from him.

* * *

"How did you afford all these books?" Wyatt asked his mother as they packed the shelves of a bookshelf they had brought into the nursery of Chris's house.

"Most of them are from your Aunts and I. The pregnancy and baby books are from our early pregnancies. The children's books are older than that. Some of them were ours, some were your guy's" Piper explained to herself.

She taped a label to each shelf. The top shelf had books solely dedicated to pregnancy and early childhood development.  
The second shelf had books designed for toddlers, the shelf below it held books for children between three and eight.

"The Cat in the Hat?" Wyatt asked lightly as he added it to the shelf.

"It's a classic." Piper said with a smile, "My mom used to read it to us. One of the few memories I have of her."

"I'm sorry, Mom." Wyatt said as he gave her a supportive hug, "I don't what I would do if I lost you."

Piper held onto her son, "Well you won't lose me anytime soon."

"Daddy, room pretty!" Matthew giggled, playing with his blocks.

"It is pretty," Wyatt agreed with his son, "Your aunt Emma and twin cousins did a great job."

"Aren't you excited for a baby cousin?" Piper asked her grandson, "Not only will you have a little brother or sister, but also a cousin to play with."

"Cousin?" Matthew asked.

"Uncle Chris's wife is having a baby." Piper explained with a smile.

"Chris... baby?" Matthew asked.

* * *

"These are nice curtains," Paige commented as her daughter helped her hang the curtains, "Nice choice, Penny."

"I didn't realize they would be so heavy." Penny complained as she lifted her arm higher to set the curtains in place.

"These hooks are handy," Carter said as he pulled an adhesive strip and pushed it against the wall, "Just peel and stick."

He hung a few paintings, "Wish we had those hooks when I was a kid." Paige said to her son, "We had to use nails and a hammer."

"That destroys the wall," Carter said and looked at the paintings with intrigue, "Did you paint these?"

"I did." Penny said with pride, "I made them especially for Brianna."

"Hmmm" Carter said with approval, "They're nice."

"Thanks." Penny said and then frowned, "We forgot about the mobile."

"I didn't forget," Paige countered, "I ignored. I don't like mobiles."

Carter and Penny studied the mobile, "I don't like mobiles either, Mom." Carter said, looking at the box with a frown.

* * *

"This looks like it weighs a ton," Michael complained as he and his uncles lifted a couch from the delivery truck, "It probably does."

"You can blame your Mom for that." Leo agreed as he held the other side the couch. Henry opened the door to Chris's house, using the key that Chris had given his parents when he had first moved in.

"She had to pick the heaviest couch possible." Henry said from the door frame. He signaled that it was clear and Leo and Michael brought the couch into the house.  
Leo pushed the couch in a certain direction and Michael followed suit.

When they finally got the couch into position, they could see why Phoebe had picked out the couch. "It matches the room." Leo said.

"Which is weird," Michael said, caught between confusion and amusement, "Because the the theme is pastel green walls with pink flower decals and purple butterflies."

"And the couch isn't even pastel green, or pink or purple. It's white!" Henry shook his head at the irony, trying to understand the people who had decorated the room before him.

"Well no, the bookshelf matches the couch." Leo said, bemused.

* * *

"Aunt Phoebe, I've been here for three hours. I think we've bonded enough." Chris said, trying to be polite, but failing, "I can't even remember why I came here in the first place."

"To bond with your favorite aunt." Phoebe suggested coyly, "The one who has been spoiling you since you were a baby."

"That's why I was here!" Chris remembered suddenly, "The baby."

Phoebe looked at him, confused.

"I have to show you this." Chris said and grabbed Phoebe's hand. He orbed her into his home, in front of the nursery that Emma had built.

"This is lovely, Chris." Phoebe said, taking the nursery in.

Chris's eyes widened, "There's even more stuff here than before."

In his absence, a white couch had been added, along with paintings, curtains and a bookshelf, completely filled.

Chris felt himself get emotional at the sight. He had been so distracted by work that he and Bianca had yet to create a nursery,  
with the birth of his daughter in the next few weeks, Chris had been stressing out. Each day he had told himself he was going to design the nursery...  
but apparently someone had done it for him.

Chris lifted the bunny plush from the rocking chair and gingerly sat down.  
He averted his eyes from Phoebe and felt tears roll down his cheek.

"Chris, are you okay?" Phoebe asked him, feeling concerned.

"It's just that..." He laughed for a moment, "Where I grew up, moments like this didn't happen and this nursery is beautiful..."

"You don't live there anymore, Chris." Phoebe said, with an encouraging smile.

"I know." Chris looked upward, a smile gracing his features, "But here... everyday feels like a miracle and it just keeps getting better and better..."


	34. Troubles

Author's Note: I had to write this chapter twice.  
You have no idea how depressed I was when I found out the chapter hadn't saved.

* * *

Chris sat in the nursery, taking in it's wonder.  
It seemed to calm him, being in this room.

As expected, eventually a figure orbed into the room, "Damn!" Emma muttered when she found herself caught,  
"Why did you turn off your sensing?"

"I wanted to catch the person responsible for this," Chris answered, then added, "That should be obvious to you."

"You don't like it." Emma frowned, "I'm sorry, Chris."

"What?" Chris asked her, looking surprised, "No, I love it."

"That's good," Emma said, looking relieved, "We wanted it to be perfect."

"Thank you." Chris hesitated as he pulled his younger sister into a hug, "You did a great job."

Emma grinned, "You can't think I did this by myself."

Chris looked interested.

"I had help." Emma said simply, waving her hand as she orbed Jacob and Rachel into the room.

"How did I do that?" Rachel asked, sounding alarmed when she reappeared on steady ground.

"I think Chris did it..." Jacob said, rubbing his head.

"Actually, that was me. Sorry." Emma apologized, "I don't use my remote orbing ability very often."

"What are we doing here?" Jacob asked her, "I thought we were done."

"Oh, you are!" Emma said with a smile, she looked back at her brother, "The twins painted the room, set up the crib and help set up wall decals."

"You like it?" Rachel asked Chris, with a smile.

"I love it, thanks guys." Chris hugged Rachel and shook Jacob's hand. Jacob wasn't into displays of affection.

"It wasn't only them, though." Emma waved her hand, this time Paige, Penny and Carter appeared.

"A little warning." Paige said impatiently to her niece, "It would go a long way."

"Aunt Paige, Carter and Penny help set up the mobile, the curtains and paintings." Emma explained.

Chris inched closer to the walls, "These are your paintings, aren't they?" He asked Penny.

"I made them to compliment the nursery." Penny affirmed.

"And then Mom and Wy helped with the bookshelf." Emma continued, waving her hand again, resulting in the appearance of Wyatt and Piper.

"Emily, you know better than to use your orbing powers on someone without permission." Piper chastised in a shrill tone.

Emma smiled guiltily, then waved her hand again, receiving a glare in the process. "Dad, Uncle Henry and Michael set the furniture up."

Michael fell over, mumbling to himself, "Hate orbing."

Henry laughed, helping his nephew up.

"And Aunt Phoebe and Uncle Coop paid for it." Emma said, waving her hand as Phoebe and Coop appeared, both looked bewildered.

"Thank you guys so much," Chris said appreciatively.

* * *

_April_

"Well, it's not a grimlock." Wyatt said as he mused through the book, looking for a demon that had appeared only an hour earlier.

"It looked a little creepier than a grimlock." Chris agreed from his seat on the couch.

"It's not this one either." Wyatt complained, continuing to look through the book.

"Someone should ask Penny to organize it by qualitative data." Emma mentioned absently, as she doodled on the spell notepad.

"I'll be back in a minute, I'm going to look for some potion ingredients." Chris said, before heading downstairs to the kitchen.

Emma pulled out her phone, "Time" she commanded to the phone.

"15:39 on the 2nd day of April in the year 2028." The phone answered immediately.

"Pure laziness there, Em." Wyatt teased, "You could have looked at the screen."

"Phones are constantly supposed to be improving." Emma shrugged as an excuse.

"Right." Wyatt said with a small smile.

"Have you guys decided on a name for the baby yet?" Emma asked curiously.

"We don't even know whether the baby is a boy or girl yet," Wyatt answered her, "Alana wants to wait."

"She does?" Emma asked, interested, "She seemed desperate to know a few months ago."

"I figure it doesn't matter, but a baby girl would be nice." Wyatt said to himself.

Emma smiled, then looked up with shock, "Darklighter!" she shouted as a warning.

She went to blow up him up, but Wyatt orbed in front of her, "Move!" he said, putting his shield up to deflect the arrow.

The arrow went through the shield, puncturing Wyatt's shoulder and falling out the other side of his skin. He fell to the ground.

"Wyatt!" Emma screamed and rushed to him, his body began to convulse. Emma tried to steady him, "I'm going to heal you, but you need to stop moving." she said, trying to hold him down.

His body flashed, causing Emma to retract her hands in surprise. His hair grew, he attained facial hair and his clothing changed to a black tee shirt.  
Wyatt opened his eyes, staring at Emma.

"You're okay! Thank god." Emma said, looking relieved.

"I've got you now, little sister." Wyatt hissing, pulling her by her hair and orbing the two of them away.

"Emma!" Chris shouted as his siblings disappeared.

* * *

Emma rubbed her head, trying to relive the pain that Wyatt's hair pulling had caused. She looked at Wyatt, fearfully, "Wyatt, was is this?" she asked him, "Let's go home."

"Why would I want to do that? I've got you right where I want you." Wyatt responded.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Emma demanded, "Because it's not funny, you're actually scaring me Wyatt. You win! Now, let's go home."

"This is not a joke." Wyatt said coldly, telekinetically throwing her across the room, "Crystals." he called and formed a cage around her.

"Let me go, Wyatt!" Emma shouted.

"Be quiet." He commanded her.

Emma ran against the cage, trying to disconnect it. She failed and was thrown back, "Wyatt..."

"You're lucky I've let you live, so shut up!" He yelled at her angrily.

"Change my brother back!" she screamed at Wyatt, "He's not evil. Change him back!"

"Oh, this is me." Wyatt said maliciously.

"What the hell happened?" She asked.

"I cannot believe you and Chris kept me good for an entire lifetime, disgusting." Wyatt spat, ignoring his sister's pleas.

"Fight this, Wyatt. Fight it! You can do it!" Emma yelled desperately, almost pleading for him to revert to his normal state.

"I'm keeping you alive for a key purpose, so you better keep quiet. You're the bait for an even bigger fish..."

"Chris." Emma whispered.

* * *

"We're going down there." Piper said decisively, after hearing what had happened to her daughter.

"You can't. Wyatt promised the underworld the Charmed ones would never be seen in the underworld again. If they do, there will be worse consequences." Chris said dejectedly.

"Don't you care about your sister?" Paige asked him coolly.

"Of course I do!" Chris said, hurt that his aunt would even ask him a question like that.

"Chris, what aren't you telling us?" Phoebe asked, trying to empathetic to his feelings.

"That arrow... I don't know what it was, but it turned Wyatt evil." Chris murmured guiltily.

"We worked so hard to keep him good." Piper said faintly.

"It's not your fault, Mom." Chris tried to comfort her, "It was the arrow. The important goal right now is to find someone powerful enough to perform the counter spell."

"What about me?" Carter asked, being a bit too nosy.

"You're too young." Paige said immediately, not liking the idea.

Piper and Phoebe agreed.

"I'm eleven! Let me do it!" Carter asked.

"Sweetie, in five years, when you're sixteen and the girls are a little older, Rachel and Jacob will train you... but in the meantime." Piper explained to Carter.

Carter spotted the counter spell written down on the notepad, quickly forming an idea he looked up, "I understand."

He went downstairs, looking for his younger sister.

"Nikki, I need you to do something." He said to his sister, whispering the rest into her ears.

"That's lying!" Nikki said, sounding uncomfortable at the idea.

"If you don't do it, then Emma and Wyatt will remain in danger." Carter reasoned.

Nikki nodded and went up stairs with Carter, "Momma, can me and Carter go play with Katie?"

Paige looked at her sister, Phoebe nodded, "Sure, Michael is at home watching Katie right now."

Nikki smiled, resting her hand on the notepad containing the counter spell.

"Come on, Nikki." Carter said, drawing his sister to him. He grabbed her hand and orbed her out.

* * *

"He hasn't come for you yet." Wyatt said, sounding pleased, yet impatient, "Maybe he doesn't love you after all."

"Chris is too smart to fall for this trap." Emma countered.

"I doubt that." Wyatt said.

"You're just jealous that Chris could be more powerful than you if he trained." Emma spat out angrily.

"Don't talk to me like that Prudence." Wyatt said coldly, a dark gleam in his icy blue eyes.

Emma felt a chill go down her spine. Wyatt never called her Prudence unless he was extremely angry or when they had been in the other world.

"It's true." Emma murmured, trying to stay strong.

"I find it highly appropriate that you were named for our dead aunt. She didn't make it past thirty. You won't make it past eighteen."

"Aunt Prue was a hero! I'm honored to be named after her." Emma shot back.

"She was a fool." Wyatt corrected Emma, "And after I kill Chris, you'll be united with your namesake."

'How can you do this, Wyatt?' Emma thought desperately to herself, 'You're my older brother.  
You're supposed to pick on me, butt your way into my private matters.  
You protect me from demons... but how can you do that when you're the demon?' Emma didn't have the guts to say these words aloud, instead keeping them to herself.

Unfortunately for her, Wyatt used his mind-reading powers to intercept her thoughts. He paled for a moment, before turn back to his sister and using his telekinesis to knock her out.

"Don't try to manipulate me again." he said coldly. He stared at her passed-out body and began to remember a moment years ago.

_"Hey Chris, where are you going?" eight year old Emma asked._

_"To vanquish a demon." Chris answered, non-chalantly. _

_"Demons are dangerous!" Emma said, now concerned, "Please don't Chris."_

_He looked at her, bewildered. Emma latched onto him, trying to prevent an exit. _

_"Let go, Emma!" Chris snapped. She refused, so he pried her off himself, pushing her to the ground. _

_She fell hard, hitting her head and getting knocked out._

_"Chris, What the f-?" Fifteen year old Wyatt snapped angrily.  
_

_He gingerly picked up his sister, orbing her to her bed and bringing her a towelette for her head._

_"Wyatt," Chris complained, "We need to vanquish the demon."_

_"Go by yourself." Wyatt said coldly, "I'm going to make sure she's okay."_

_"She's eight, Wyatt. She gets bumps on the head all the time!" Chris fought back._

_"Not from her brothers, Chris!" Wyatt shot angrily, "We're supposed to protect her, not hurt her!"_

_Chris relented, sitting on the bed next to his sister, "Sorry." He murmured, petting his sister's hair gently. _

* * *

"Say the spell one more time." Carter asked his sister.

She recited it once more and when Carter decided that he gotten the spell down, he told her to stop.

He read the spell, frowning, "Are you sure this is it?"

"I know how to use my power." Nikki said defensively.

"But you never use it!" Carter argued, "And we have to get this right."

"That's because my power is cheating." Nikki said, unhappy her brother was questioning her.

"Are you sure this is it." He repeated.

"Yes!" Nikki complained.

"Fine," Carted seceded, "Go help Katie learn the spell."

Nikki took Katie aside and held her hands, trying to transfer the knowledge she had absorbed from the notepad to Katie.

"You realize I'm not letting you go." Michael said, watching from a corner.

"Try to stop us." Carter said absently, again reading the spell.

"You don't want to do this..." Michael said smoothly, "It's dangerous."

Carter felt his will being manipulated, he threw up his hands defensively and froze Michael in ice, "Sorry Michael, but I can't let you put Emma and Wyatt in danger."

"Mikey!" Katie said, panic setting in, she rain to her brother.

"It's okay." Carter said calmly, "It's part of a game."

"Promise?" four year old Katie asked.

"Promise." Carter agreed, and put his hand on the ice boulder, orbing Michael to his room, "Keep practicing the spell!"

Katie and Nikki continued on the spell for the next half hour until Carter thought they were ready, 'I'll save you guys.' Carter thought to himself, determined to help.


	35. Stuck

Author's Note: Haha, working on a quick chapter before heading to class.

I like that even though this story has less reviews than its first form,  
it has double the views in six weeks than the first has had in five years.  
Gotta love it!

Thanks for the reviews and encouragement :]

* * *

Carter stared at the block of ice that was Michael. He had been training the power for the past six months, but didn't have complete understanding of it.  
He knew that he had to keep Nikki away from the block, if she broke the block like she had broken the demon in November, then Michael would die.

Focusing, Carter looked at the block of ice, "I need you to stay frozen for an hour, two hours at max." he pleaded.  
He closed his eyes, willing himself to manipulate the block of ice. He waved his hand for a moment, letting the ice melt just a bit.  
Carter hoped this was enough to begin the defrosting process.

"Alright," He said to himself, "Now for the spell." He pulled it out of his pocket and read it aloud several times,  
before trying to say it without looking at the sheet.

When he orbed back downstairs, Nikki and Katie were still going at it.  
He knew why his mother didn't want them to go to the underworld...  
Katie couldn't read, let alone learn to properly recite a spell.  
And Nikki just knew the basics of reading, being only in the first grade.

"I think she's got it," Nikki said to Carter, "Do you think we'll be there in time?"  
Carter could see his sister's concern and bent down to her level.

"We'll be fine." He said, trying to encourage her, he then changed his attitude,  
"Nikki, if they aren't okay, it isn't your fault. Okay? You need to promise me you know that."

"But it's up to us to save them!" Nikki countered, sounding even worse.

"We're going to try our hardest," Carter explained, "but we're only kids, there is only so much we can do."

Nikki looked like she was about to cry. Carter pulled his sister into a hug, whispering, "It's okay, Nikki. We're going to get them."

Nikki nodded, then pulled Katie over, "Katie, we're going to save Em and Wy, okay?"

"Kay!" Katie said, jumping up excitedly.

"Carter..." Nikki said and pulled her brother aside, "She thinks it's a game."

"Uncle Leo said she was the Child of Vitality, maybe it's better to let her think that way. If we depress her, she won't be vital for much longer." Carter explained, though he could see the problem.

"What's vitality?" Nikki asked Carter.

"It means energy... or life. I don't know how to explain it exactly, but the happier she is, the stronger she is." Carter said to his sister.

"When am I stronger?" Nikki asked, a bit too curious for her own good.

Carter grinned, "You're happier when you understand something. Which is good, considering your power."

"My power is still cheating," Nikki said, frowning, "Mommy said so."

"I disagree, but this isn't the time." Carter said, "I'm my strongest when I'm feeling passionate. Which is good, because I'm totally pumped to save Emma and Wyatt."

* * *

Wyatt scowled at the still incapacitated body of his sister, "You two were always my weak point."

_"I'm going to the University of San Francisco." Wyatt announced to his siblings. _

_Chris looked confused, "But Wy, you said you wanted to go to UCLA."_

_"I know," Eighteen year old Wyatt said, he smiled for a moment, "But I didn't get in."_

_"I'm sorry, Wy." eleven year old Emma said, hugging her older brother, "They don't know what they're missing." _

_Chris glanced at Wyatt, thinking, 'Why are you lying? I can tell you got in.' _

_Wyatt answered his question aloud, "Now, I'll get to stay closer to my family."_

_"And Alana." Chris teased, deciding to go along with his brother's choice. _

_"Yeah, and Alana too." Wyatt smiled slightly, thinking of his girlfriend. _

_"I would have missed you a lot if you moved away, Wy." Emma said, looking cheerful._

_"I don't think I would have missed you." Wyatt teased his sister._

_"Whatever." Emma said, sticking her tongue out. _

_"Is that something all fifth-graders do? Or just you, Em?" Wyatt continued to banter his sister. _

_"Just the really cool fifth graders." Emma countered._

_"Didn't you know, Wy?" Chris asked, feigning a look of shock, "Emma is just the coolest kid in her class."_

_"Thank you, Chris." Emma said, sounding victorious. _

_'Too bad she doesn't understand sarcasm yet.' Chris thought._

_Wyatt tried to hide the smile that he felt at Chris's thought._

"No," Wyatt frowned looking at the still incapacitated body of his sister, "You don't understand sarcasm, seriousness, or even life-threatening danger. You're too foolish, Prudence."

Wyatt couldn't place it, but he couldn't quell his guilt. He wanted Chris to come already so he could get this over with so that he could move above ground and get on with this.  
'Evil shouldn't be kept underground', Wyatt had thought.

* * *

A presence orbed into the lair, "About time, Christopher." Wyatt said coldly, turning around.

"Wyatt, you've got to fight this." Chris pleaded.

Wyatt looked at Chris's hands interested, "Potions? You don't plan to vanquish me, do you?" He laughed darkly.

"Not if I don't have to, Wy." Chris said, sounding nervous. He knew he would never have the heart to vanquish Wyatt, especially after seeing what a Good Wyatt was like.

Emma stirred slightly, "It's a trap...run." she grumbled, holding onto her head as she tried to relieve the pain.

"If you run, I'll kill her." Wyatt threatened, summoning a darklighter crossbow.

"I'm not going anywhere." Chris said immediately.

"Chris..." Emma groaned, "Please run."

"I am not leaving you behind, not again." Chris said, trying to be strong, but still fearful.

"Stop." Emma moaned weakly, "Just stop." She gathered the strength to wave her hand, sending Chris disappearing in orbs.

"What have you done!" Wyatt snapped, he used his telekinesis to move a crystal, effectively breaking the cage.

"Leave him alone, Wyatt." Emma said, still tired.

"You will not interfere again." Wyatt said coldly, aiming a darklighter bow at her. He released the trigger.

Emma tried to orb away, but felt too weak and was kept in place as the arrow pierced her.

She fell back, trying to say something, but failing, "Wy..."

* * *

Chris opened his eyes, to find himself in the Manor, "What the hell?" he asked the empty air.

_"If you run, I'll kill her." Wyatt threatened._

"Emma!" Chris said in alarm, trying to orb back to the cavern.

He reappeared, but no one was there. Wyatt must have moved, taking Emma with him.

* * *

Wyatt looked at his sister, watching as she slowly died. He couldn't help himself from peering into her last thoughts.

_"You know what Wyatt told me?" Emma asked softly, "Healing comes from the heart. Triggered by love. When you develop that power, you'll do great things."_

Wyatt stumbled back unwillingly. 'That wasn't a thought', Wyatt mused to himself, 'It was a memory.'

_Matthew orbed into his father's arms and stifled a yawn, "Tired, buddy?" Wyatt asked his son. Matthew closed his eyes._

_Chris smiled at his brother, "Is it hard to be a father?" he asked Wyatt._

_"No," Wyatt laughed and then elaborated, "It's one of the easiest things I've ever done."_

_Emma gave him a mocking look, "That's because Alana does all the work."_

Wyatt looked at her angrily, "Stop it!" He screamed at her, "Stop it, NOW!"

_"Hey Emma?" Wyatt asked her curiously._

_"Yeah?" she asked him back._

_"Don't stress the little things." Wyatt said and patted her back._

Wyatt turned away from his sister, trying to keep up his work.

"You're supposed to protect me from demons... How do you do that when you're the demon?" Emma's voiced echoed in Wyatt's head.

He tried to vanquish the guilt he felt, before remembering right before they found out she had cancer.

_Wyatt gave the demon with a nasty glare, "Don't ever look at my sister like that." His hands glowed warmly as they incinerated the demons who dared to look at his sister._

He heard orbs, causing Wyatt to turn around, "Is this a joke?" He asked nastily, when he saw his three youngest cousins.

"Wyatt, you've got to stop." Carter said, not budging at all.

"You think three little kids can do anything?" Wyatt taunted, "Especially with you as the leader. Remember, you took the longest to grow into your powers. That is because you're the weakest."

"Carter isn't weak!" Nikki shouted at Wyatt. He growled at her and she retreated behind his leg.

"Say the spell." Carter whispered to Nikki and Katie.

The group began to chant the spell. Nikki had to hold Katie's hand so that she wouldn't become scared and stop.

"You really think your silly spell will do anything?" Wyatt asked, looking evilly amused at his cousins.

"Keep going." Carter commanded, then began to recite the spell over and over.

"Nice try." Wyatt said and shot another darklighter arrow. Carter waved, freezing the arrow in ice.

It fell to the ground and shattered. Wyatt shot out even more arrows. Carter froze those as well, but one when out of his range.

Carter tried to ignore it until he saw it heading towards his sister. He orbed in front of it.

"Carter!" Katie screamed, trying to break away from Nikki's hold.

"No!" Nikki said and pulled Katie and herself closer to Carter, "Carter, keep saying the spell."

"But.." he murmured weakly.

"I'll get you to Uncle Leo soon, but you need to help us." Nikki pleaded, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Kay..." Carter agreed and continued to say the spell.

"Good luck with the spell now, Nicole." Wyatt taunted, amused at her brother's pain.

"Keep going..." Nikki told Carter, holding his hand firmly.

Wyatt glared at and sent more arrows at her. Nikki squinted her eyes and the arrows headed in the opposite direction, hitting a wall.

Slowly, Wyatt began to transform back to his normal self, "Katie, go take Emma to the Manor!" Nikki said. Katie let go of Nikki's hand and ran over to Emma, the two disappeared.

"Carter," Nikki whispered, tears streaming down her face, "You did it." She held his hand and orbed him into the Manor,  
"Uncle Leo!" she called, then disappeared once more.

She appeared back where she had been moments ago, "Wyatt, hold on." She pleaded and grabbed his hand, he squeezed gently for support and she reappeared back at the manor, Wyatt with her.

When she got back, she found Emma and Carter on the couch. Both were asleep, trying to recover from the arrow.

"I've got him," Leo said gingerly, "You did well, Nicole. Really well, go relax, alright?"

Nikki nodded, tears in her eyes.

"Nicole Patricia Halliwell, what were you thinking!" Paige shouted, when she saw her daughter crying and her son on the couch, passed out.

"We wanted to save Emma and Wyatt," Nikki said, she then stammered out, "Are they going to be okay?"

Paige sighed, lifting her daughter into her arms, "With a little rest, they'll be fine."

"Nikki!" Chris called, grabbing her from Paige, "You're okay, thank God! Is everyone else okay?" He asked her.

"Emma and Carter are on the couch, Uncle Leo healed them. Wyatt's sleeping too. Where's Katie?" Nikki asked suddenly, feeling nervous once again.

"Katie went home to be with Michael." Phoebe answered.

"Michael?" Nikki paled. She escaped Chris's grasp and ran to Carter, shaking him, "Carter, you forgot Michael." She whispered in his ears.

Her Aunts, Mother, Uncle Leo and Chris looked at her curiously.

"He should thaw any minute now." Carter grumbled tiredly.

* * *

Wyatt woke up on a couch, 'What happened?' He asked himself. He paled as everything came back to him.

Wyatt lifted himself up, "Wy, calm down. Your body is exhausted." He looked over, seeing his younger brother looking back at him groggily.

Panic filled Wyatt as he orbed away. He reappeared on the Golden Gate Bridge a moment later.

"Wy, what are you doing?" Chris asked, following his brother to the top of the bridge.

"Leave me alone, Chris." Wyatt mumbled, sounding very irritated.

"What's wrong?" Chris asked, sounding concerned, "Did dad not heal everything?"

"I'm healed fine." Wyatt muttered, "I just need some space."

"Alright, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Chris said, trying to give his brother some space.

"No," Wyatt disagreed, "Telling Mom and Alana that I'm going away for a bit."

"What? Why?" Chris asked, sounding confused.

"Were you not there today?" Wyatt demanded coolly, "I shot my sister with a darklighter arrow, used her as bait, shot my cousin with an arrow and tried to kill the other two cousins, both of whom haven't even made it to second grade."

"Wy, that wasn't you." Chris said softly, "That was the arrow..."

"I'm leaving now, Chris." Wyatt said finally, "Don't look for me."

"Wyatt! Please don't!" Chris pleaded.

It was too late. Wyatt had already disappeared by then.


	36. Determination

Author's Note: I wrote this earlier in the week, but I wanted to hold onto this chapter for a few days.  
So the story is probably going to end in about 5 or so chapters, maybe more, but not much more.

I love everyone for reading this story and for reviewing.

In case you've forgotten, I've got links to pictures of all the Halliwell children in my profile.  
My favorite stories list also has a good selection of Chris stories, if you're looking for one :)

* * *

Emma woke up, feeling refreshed. She hated to admit it, but she had had nightmares about Wyatt turning evil.  
She knew that it had been the arrow, but still, something inside her was bugging her.

'If I can see him, then I'll know he isn't evil.' She thought to herself.

She took a shower and got dressed. She didn't bother to do her hair, instead she pulled it back into a ponytail.

'Well, I'm doing good on time. I don't have to leave for school for another ten minutes.'

Emma smiled slightly, "Wyatt!" she called out. She waited a minute and nothing happened.  
She frowned, "Wyatt!" She yelled. A minute later, she got a jingle in response, "Don't you jingle me, Wyatt Matthew Halliwell!" she shouted.

Nothing happened and Emma gave up. She left her room, grabbing a piece of a toast in the process.

"Feeling better, Em?" Alana asked her sister-in-law.

"Lots better," Emma answered, stifling a yawn, "Is Wy still asleep?"

"Actually," Alana said, looking as if she had remembered something, "I haven't seen him... It's weird, because he doesn't have work until this afternoon."

"Morning girls," Piper said, looking wide awake, she noticed the expressions on their face, "What's wrong?"

"Mom, where's Wyatt?" Emma asked her mother.

"He should be on the couch." Piper answered, she set up her coffee pot.

Emma peered in the living room, "No one is there." Emma called.

"Chris!" Alana called impatiently.

"Time to go already?" Chris asked her, looking ready for the day.

"Where is my husband?" Alana asked impatiently, "You were watching him last night."

Chris sighed, "He left."

"Left when?" Piper asked, suddenly upset.

"Early this morning, he said he was going away." Chris answered, trying to look away from his mother and his best friend.

"Going away, where?" Emma asked.

"I don't know." Chris admitted.

"Will he be back before his shift?" Alana asked Chris.

"I don't think so, Lana," Chris said, sounding uncomfortable, "He said he was going away for a while."

"He can't just leave!" Alana shouted desperately, "I'm six months pregnant and we already have a two year old son, I need him."

Piper hugged Alana, trying to comfort her daughter-in-law, "We'll bring him back."

* * *

Wyatt sipped his coffee. He didn't know why he was so tired; he had slept from five in the afternoon until three in the morning.

Wyatt smiled slightly, he hadn't been to a coffee shop since his college days. Back then he would stop at a coffee shop  
and down a few cups so that he could stay up late and study.

After he graduated from medical school, he severely cut down on his intake of coffee. He learnt all the negative side-effects  
and choose to drink it sparingly.

Alana had always laughed at his chastising speeches when he would catch her sipping some, she would tell him "You'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands."  
The only time she didn't drink coffee was during her pregnancies.

Wyatt didn't know why he was still in the coffee shop, 'it's not like I have anywhere else to go.'

A young girl in her twenties smiled at him, he smiled back, taking another sip of his coffee.  
She looked at his hand, then glared at him. She picked up her purse and left.

'That was weird.' Wyatt thought to himself. He looked at his hand, trying to figure out what he had done to offend her.  
All he saw were his fingers... and his wedding ring.

He laughed to himself, 'I've been married so long that I've forgotten what flirting looks like.'

* * *

Michael did not look happy. He had been in bed since the day before.  
The consequences of being frozen in solid ice for over an hour.

Phoebe was huddled over her son. She put another blanket over him, "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

Michael sniffled, "Stupid Carter. He shouldn't be using his powers if he doesn't know how to control them."

Phoebe smiled for a moment, "You shouldn't talk badly about your cousin. He had good intentions."

"If he had just asked you guys, I wouldn't be freezing to death." Michael complained, holding the blanket closer to himself.

"Oh, I know." Phoebe brought her son closer to herself, she kissed his forehead, "But at least Emma and Wyatt are okay."

"Yeah." Michael managed a smile, "But Mom, I'm not a little kid anymore. I could have taken care of myself."

"You're always going to be my little boy." Phoebe said affectionately, she kissed Michael's forehead, "Call me if you need anything, alright?"

"Alright." Michael agreed, closing his eyes.

* * *

"You are going to stay here, do you understand me, young man?" Paige asked her son.

"Mom, you can trust me. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." Carter tried to look apologetic, but came off looking more irritated than anything else.

"I can trust you? Really?" Paige questioned, looking angry, "You tricked your sister into using her power so that you could go out and prove that you're not weak."

"I didn't trick her," Carter countered, now annoyed, "I asked her to do me a favor."

"And she did it! What are you going to do next? Manipulate your sister into stealing my car keys so that you can go for a joy ride?"

"I would never do anything to hurt Nikki!" Carter shouted, he transitioned from annoyed to angry.

"You took her and Katie to the Under World, where you knew it wasn't safe." Paige snapped angrily, "What if she had been shot by the arrow instead of you?"

"She was," Carter mumbled, "But I got in front of it before anything could happen."

"Yeah? And what if the spell hadn't worked? What if Nikki couldn't get you home, and instead, you died? Could you live knowing your sister witnessed your death?" Paige asked finally.

Carter swallowed in an attempt to stop himself from crying, "I'm sorry." He croaked out, "I was just trying to save Emma and Wyatt. No one was doing anything and I knew we were the only one with the power to stop Wyatt."

Paige sighed, "I know you love your sister and I know you love your cousins, but Carter, you're a kid. You need to leave this up to the adults."

"I want to go into training sooner then," Carter said finally, "Wait for Nikki and Katie, but in a few years I want to go into training. Wyatt was vanquishing demons by twelve, Chris and Emma by thirteen."

"You are in no place to demand anything, young man." Paige said finally, "But, I'll think about it."

Carter nodded.

"And if you leave this house, I will send your father after you." Paige threatened.

Carter looked hurt at the remark, "I'm not a criminal, jeez, Mom." He orbed to his mom, locking the door.  
He sighed as he laid on his bed, blasting some music to distract himself.

* * *

"Normally, I'm all for Carter being grounded, but you're being kind of hard on him..." Penny said to her mother.

"Luckily, Penelope. I'm the mother, not you." Paige sniped.

"Mom, he was trying to save Emma and Wyatt. If they hadn't gotten there in time, she would have died." Penny tried to reason with her mother.

"We would have found a way to save her." Paige corrected her daughter.

"Really?" Penny asked, now a little irritated, "Because from what I heard from Chris, no one was doing anything remotely proactive at all."

"Don't make me ground you too, young lady." Paige threatened.

"Ground me for what? For telling you the truth? Fine, Ground me. I don't care." Penny shot finally.

"I'm disappointed in you, Penelope. You're usually better behaved than this." Paige remarked.

"You're a social worker, Mom!" Penny yelled, "You know how horrible the things you said to Carter were and you kept going."

"Go to your room," Paige snapped coolly, "You can come down when you've grown up a little."

"Well, if that's how you're approaching the situation, then maybe you should go to your room until you grow up. Don't worry, I'll be back here before you, Mom." Penny said in an icy tone, she disappeared in orbs.

* * *

"Whatcha doing?" Rachel asked with a smile, when she faded into Chad's room. Chad was sitting down, using a computer, typing something.

"Hey Rach," Chad said with a smile, "I haven't seen you since this morning. I missed you."

Rachel peered over his shoulder with a smile, "What are you writing?"

"I'm writing an apology letter." He joked lightly.

"To who?" Rachel questioned.

"To our entire class?" He offered, "It started as my valedictorian speech, but now it feels more like an apology."

"You have nothing to apologize for." Rachel said, looking worried for her boyfriend.

"Rach, you've always been popular. When I was a little kid, I wasn't popular. I was awkward and nerdy, and sometimes people picked on me." Chad looked guilty,  
"So I know how horrible what I've done to these people are."

"But you helped them grow into their power." Rachel stammered back.

"Maybe, but I still don't like the method. Initially, I found it quite pleasurable. It was almost like getting back at those who hurt me..." Chad looked downcast,  
"But I was creating more problems, instead of encouraging others to find their power through the right means."

"Kay," Rachel smiled, she sat on Chad's bed behind him, "You know I didn't date you because you were a bully, right?"

Chad laughed, "God, I hope not. That would have been one twisted relationship."

"I like having you as my boyfriend because you're funny and you're incredibly smart," She smiled, then added softly, "And you don't look down on me for not being as bright as others."

"Rachel, everyone is smart in their own way," Chad said, gently, "So you're not textbook smart? Who cares? Your magical precision is admirable. It makes me jealous that you are so naturally talented with your powers."

"But, what about college?" Rachel asked, looking downcast.

"I'll only be forty minutes away. I can always shimmer to you and you can always fade over to me. You're welcome anytime." Chad smiled, leaning in for a kiss.

Rachel kissed him back, "And you'll help me?"

"Of course." Chad offered her warmly. Rachel still looked upset, "What's wrong?"

"I wish everyone had gotten to know the real you," Rachel whispered, "Because you're such a sweet person."

"Well, the best I can do is to hope they accept my apology." Chad offered, he too was upset that he made such a nasty name at school.

* * *

"You cannot expect me to get her that." Jacob said, arching a brow at Kaylee's suggestion for his sister's graduation gift.

"It's perfect, you know she'll like it." Kaylee argued.

"Nope," Jacob disagreed, "I don't know anything."

"Well, I'm her best friend and I know she'll love it," Kaylee said, then arched a brow, "And you should know she'll love it, you're her twin brother."

"It's three hundred dollars." Jacob grumbled, "You should be grateful that I'm taking you to prom."

Kaylee glared at Jacob, "I didn't want to go with a stranger so close to graduation."

Jacob smiled slightly, "I was kidding, Kayles. I'm glad you want to go to prom with me. Honestly, I don't think I could handle a random chick latching herself onto me so close to graduation."

"You are so smooth, Jacob." Kaylee teased, "Now get the stereo. You know she wants it and you know she's probably going to get you something as good."

"Fine," Jacob caved, "My wallet doesn't like this, though."

"Oh please. You're the son of Phoebe Halliwell. I'm sure you can afford it." Kaylee joked.

Jacob always felt uncomfortable having so much money, while Kaylee lived in a small apartment in Oakland with her single mother. Her mother didn't have much money  
and at times he wanted to give his best friend the world, but he knew if he offered her money that she would hate him. Kaylee didn't care that Jacob was rich, or that he was the son of a Charmed one.  
She liked him for him and made it apparent that she would never want to have the responsibility he had as the son of a Charmed One.

He knew that Kaylee had moved to Oakland, when she was six. She had come from Northern Pennsylvania.  
At ten, her father gave up on the family and moved somewhere else in California. Kaylee rarely talked about her father,  
mostly because it destroyed the optimism she was known for.

"After we buy this monstrosity, we're getting dinner." Jacob declared.

"Fine," Kaylee agreed, "We'll get dinner, you glutton."

"We're going to that new restaurant. Chad and Rachel said it was good." Jacob informed her after they exited the store.

Kaylee frowned for a moment, "I'm paying, by the way." He added.

"Why?" Kaylee asked him.

"Pretend it's a date." Jacob said dismissively.

"Jacob, you're my best friend. I love you to death, but I do not want to date you." Kaylee had said, afraid of the awkwardness.

Jacob was surprised that the sentence hurt his feelings; He didn't know he liked Kaylee, "I said to pretend, can you do that?" He teased.

Kaylee looked at him, curiously, but then agreed, "Yeah, I can pretend."

"Hey Kayles... You know you can call me anytime and I'll be there in a heartbeat." Jacob told her.

"Yeah," Kaylee smiled, "You're a good friend, Jacob."

* * *

It didn't really matter where they were. Each Halliwell was changing their mind about someone.  
It could be go either way, really. Some relationships were getting closer... some were falling apart.


	37. Wonder

Author's Note:

I love everyone for reading this story and for reviewing.

In case you've forgotten, I've got links to pictures of all the Halliwell children in my profile.  
My favorite stories list also has a good selection of Chris stories, if you're looking for one :)

ForeverChrisFan, thanks for your long review. I don't like Bianca bashing either,  
like I said, I'm pretty indifferent to her. Which is why I kept Chris with her :]

* * *

_April 10th, 2028_

Chris sighed, reading through the files.  
Alice and Adam Cunningham were seven year old twins whose teacher had seen bruises on both of the children.  
The elementary school worker had a large case load and had the children referred to South Bay Social Services.

Any minute the twins would be arriving with their older sister.

"Hi, are you Christopher Halliwell?" The teenage girl asked him.

"Yeah, come on in." He gave her a smile. She came in, taking a seat. Two younger children followed her, "Not to offend you, but are you old enough to be their guardian?"

"I'm twenty-one. I attend Berkeley University." The girl explained, "There isn't anyone else to take care of my siblings, so I sort of took on the responsibility."

"Alright, we'll get to that in a minute." He looked at the twins, "What are your guy's names?"

"Adam." The twin boy answered, he had light brown hair and bright brown eyes. He looked at his twin sister.

"Sweetie, you need to answer Mr. Halliwell's question." their older sister encouraged her sister.

The little girl looked scared, instead she buried her face into her sister's sweater, "Ali" she murmured into the sweater.

"Hey name is Alice, I'm sorry, she's a little shy." Her sister answered for her.

"It's alright," Chris responded, "Oh, I didn't even realize I hadn't asked your name yet. Sorry about that."

"I'm Ava," she answered, "Alice and Adam are my half-siblings." She explained.

Chris went over some basic forms. He had to decide if she was fit to become their legal guardian.  
He looked over the forms and asked her to come back in a few days.

* * *

Wyatt had drank coffee each day for the past week. He hated the fact that it was beginning to grow on him.

He could imagine his wife smirking victoriously when she found out, saying to him, "It's impossible to resist."

He missed her. He missed her laugh, her unfunny jokes and the way she flushed when she became embarrassed.

'How depressing is this. I haven't seen my wife in a week...or my son.' He thought to himself.

He sat in the same seat each time he came into the coffee shop. He was bored. Never being an indoors person, Wyatt had always spent his  
time off with his wife and son. When the two weren't around, he always hung out with his parents or his younger siblings.

"Wyatt!" He could hear his brother yelling in his head. Chris was calling him, again.  
Chris had called him every morning and every night, he never stopped.

It normally would have annoyed him, but it comforted Wyatt to know his brother cared.

"Wy, How the hell am I supposed to know you're not lying in a ditch, dead somewhere?" His brother's voice echoed in his head.

Wyatt groaned, grabbing a pen from his pocket. He wrote a short note on the receipt for his coffee, 'I'm fine. Stop worrying about me. Wy.'

He looked around, making sure no one was watching him and orbed the note to Chris.

A minute later, Chris's voice was pounding in his head again, "I think I deserve more than a note! I'm your brother for Christ's sake!"

Wyatt had a strong desire to put his family on mute, but decided against it in case of a life-threatening emergency.

* * *

Michael was sitting at group tables. It was time, once again, to pick courses for the following year.

Thanks to his older siblings, he was now more nervous than ever about his junior year.

_"Junior year is the hardest," Jacob had told him, "Not only are you working on your magical skills, but you need to focus on your mortal skills.  
Then there are the SATS, the test mortals take to get into college. Pain in the ass test, just ask Rachel."_

Michael penciled in 'Algebra', followed by 'History', 'Human Connections', 'Power Enhancement' and then added his last class, 'Modern Magic: III'.

Zoe sat next to him, "Have you figure this out yet? I don't know what I want to take."

"Yeah, I got it." Michael answered, dissatisfied with the classes he had to take to get into college.

"Modern Magic? Again?" Zoe asked him, "No offense, but that class is such a bore."

"Why would it offend me?" Michael asked her, looking confused.

"It's your family..." Zoe said, then looked at him, "You look distracted."

"I'd feel better if I got a hug." Michael said with a grin.

"Oh yeah?" Zoe laughed, she hugged him, then kissed his cheek, "You even got something extra."

Michael looked back at his schedule, "Have you thought about college yet?"

Zoe pulled her dirty blonde hair behind her, "I've tried to avoid it, but really it's a plague."

"Exactly," Michael agreed, unable to stop looking at sheet, "Aren't we too young to be worrying about it?"

"Well, I'm sixteen and you're getting there." Zoe offered, "Junior year is an important of school. With SATS and other exams."

"Yeah, but why is it such a big deal?" Michael pondered.

"It's the last year on your transcript when you apply to college." Zoe explained.

"Righttt. I knew there was a reason that Junior Year was important." Michael smiled, "Still... why am I taking Modern Magic? It's not like that's going on my high school transcript."

"Could you imagine an admissions counselor seeing a class called 'Modern Magic'? They would think we were Satanists." Zoe laughed.

"That's pretty much how the world perceives witches to be." Michael shrugged, "It's not their fault that inaccuracies have been spread through history."

"Yeah," Rachel said, sitting down next to her brother, "It's Mom's fault."

"What do you mean?" Michael asked her.

"When Mom went back in time to meet Charlotte Warren, she used a broom and witch hat to scare off a threat." Rachel explained, "Now are you done?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm done." Michael answered, "Do you like being a TA?" he asked his sister.

"You're too smart to be a teacher's assistant. Focus on academics." Rachel answered, leaving her brother and his girlfriend behind.

* * *

"I'm finally ungrounded!" Carter said with a grin, as he orbed into his sister's room.

"I'm not." Penny offered, smiling for a moment.

"Come on, Pen. Go apologize to Mom and get ungrounded." Carter pushed.

"Why should I? She was wrong." Penny said, looking grumpy.

"Look, I know we normally hate each other, but I'm really glad you stood up for me. It was nice to have you on my side, but I was wrong." Carter admitted, trying to cheer up his sister,  
"I could have gotten Nikki killed...?" He asked.

"And Katie." Penny answered absently.

Carter smiled, "That's right. Come on, You know you agree with Mom."

Penny hesitated, "Want to know what I think?"

"Sure." Carter nodded.

"I think you were being a selfish brat by trying to save Emma and Wyatt. You don't like that people wont take you seriously, so you tried to prove yourself. At the same time, you were worried about Em and Wy, so you had good enough intentions, but your actions were irresponsible."

"Hey-" Carter began defensively.

"Not done here," Penny interrupted him, "Your actions could have resulted in not only your own death, but the death of Nicole and Katie. Still, that's not why I defended you."

Carter eyed her, curiously.

"Our mother is social worker supervisor. Social workers are supposed to be gentle, strong and empathetic individuals. One thing you learn as a social work is not to destroy other people's confidence." Penny completed.

"Penny, you agree with Mom. You just admitted it, now go make up with her." Carter responded, sounding wary.

"We've never fought this horribly before." Penny said, sounding sad.

"That's because you're the oldest. Mom looks at like a partner." Carter smiled, "Never thought I'd want you back on her side, but I do."

"Alright, I guess I have to face the music." Penny caved in.

* * *

"Hi." Penny said, sounding uncomfortable.

"Penny." Her mother nodded, "How are you?"

"Can we stop this?" Penny asked, exasperated at the formalities.

Paige smiled, Penny had a lot of her energy. "I don't like this any better than you," Paige said, guiding her daughter to the couch, "We never fight."

"Mom, you're more than a mother to me. While other kids hate their parents, I love being around you." Penny admitted, upset about the conflict between her and her mother.

"Penny, you're a great kid. You're a lot more mature for your age than I was when I was your age," Paige looked grave, "When I was your age, I used to drink a lot and do other morally questionable things."

Penny listened carefully.

"It took the loss of my adoptive parents to fix my life and to stop putting my desires in front of others." Paige explained, "I don't want your brother to lose a family member before realizing how dangerous what he has done is."

"I just think you were a little hard on him." Penny murmured in response.

"I know that." Paige answered, "And I apologized to him the next day."

"You did?" Penny asked, "Why didn't you tell me that?"

"Because we were fighting?" Paige answered her daughter.

"Let's not fight anymore." Penny said with a smile.

"Brilliant Idea, Penelope." Paige said, hugging her daughter, "But you're still grounded for another three days."

Penny looked indignant, "You said I was right!"

"I know," Paige smiled, "But you have to treat me with respect, I am your mother after all."

* * *

"You excited for this weekend?" Chad asked Jacob as he sorted through student schedules.

"Prom?" Jacob asked, reading one of the schedules, "Modern Magic: V Honors" Jacob read aloud, frowning, "Some people just enjoy being tortured."

"Hey," Chad said, sounding insulted, "I took Modern Magic: V Honors," He then changed the subject, "So are you excited?"

"It'll be fun." Jacob shrugged, "Spell Casting: III" Jacob laughed, "Remember when we were in that class?"

"Jake, what happened?" Chad asked finally, "Kaylee said yes to going to the prom with you."

"Only as friends though." Jacob answered, "Which is fine, but it bugs me a bit."

"Of course it bugs you. You've liked Kaylee for the past two years."

Jacob looked at Chad confused, "How would you know that? I didn't even know that."

Chad grinned, "You treat her like a porcelain doll."

"We all do," Jacob frowned, "But you know why."

"Yeah I do. We all love Kaylee, but not like you. Say someone is rude to your sister, what do you do?" Chad asked.

"Depends on who," Jacob answered honestly, "Rachel can't stand up for herself."

"Say someone is rude to Kaylee, what do you do?" Chad repeated.

"I'd be mad," Jacob didn't like the thought of someone hurting Kaylee, "Kaylee doesn't deserve that."

Chad laughed, "Rachel would kick your ass if she heard you saying she deserved to be treated badly."

Jacob sighed, "That's exactly why I don't have to defend her."

"But you get my point, right?" Chad asked him.

"I guess so. I just wish I didn't like her. I don't want to put her in an awkward position." Jacob admitted.

"So, let things take their course. If you two end up together somewhere in the future, then you'll know it was meant to be. If not," Chad grinned at this, "Then are always plenty more fish in the sea."

* * *

Emma sat there, feeling lonely. "Wy... please come home, I miss you." she called softly.

She swallowed nervously, tears streaming down her face, "I never thought I would miss you this much." she whispered.

A piece of paper was orbed into the room, _'Em, I miss you too. More than you can imagine. Keep your head up. Wy.' _

She held onto the paper, trying to decipher if there were any hidden messages giving way to his location.

There was a knock on the door, but Emma didn't look up. "I'm not up to talking." she said, choking up.

"I miss him too." Chris said softly from the other side of the door.

Emma didn't answer him, clinging to her blanket.  
Chris was silent, leading Emma to believe he had left. A moment later he appeared beside he bed.

"You shouldn't do that." Emma murmured tiredly.

"Oh god, Em" Chris said, taking in her look of exhaustion. He reached down and pulled her into his arms,  
hugging her securely, he whispered, "Don't worry. He'll come back eventually."

"I never meant it." She said, trying not to cry.

"Meant what?" Chris asked her.

"I told him I hated him... all the time." She said quietly, "It's my fault he's gone."

"It's not your fault," Chris countered, "He just needs some to think."

"But how long?" Emma asked, wiping her tears, "Is he ever going to come back? Is he going to come to my graduation? to birth of his daughter? Am I going to see him before I move?"

"If he's not back in the next few weeks, I will personally drag him back." Chris answered, "I'm not letting him disappear on us."

Emma nodded weakly, "I know that he is mad at me, but I wish he would just talk to me."

"I don't think that's it. He's fighting his inner demons and unfortunately we can't help him until he's ready." Chris rubbed her back encouragingly, "He'll come back, I promise."

* * *

"Wy," Chris said a gentle tone, looking up, "I'm trying to give you your space, but please... Emma needs you. She thinks you blame her.  
I miss you too, come home soon."

Bianca got into bed, laying next to Chris, "Sweetie, I know how much you miss your brother."

"But?" Chris asked her, almost annoyed.

Bianca gave him a confused look, "No buts, I know you miss him. He'll come home soon."

"That's what I told Emma, but I'm almost worried he won't come back." Chris admitted, sounding dejected.

"Wyatt loves you guys more than anything." Bianca said, pulling her husband closer to herself.

"But if he's been able to stay away for a week, then he can stay away for even longer than that." Chris was downcast.

Bianca kissed his forehead, "Listen to me: Wyatt will come back."

Chris smiled slightly, "Alright." He laid his head on the pillow and looked at his wife, "You put up with a lot from my family," He said randomly, "Thanks for that."

"Well, they're my family too." Bianca laid next to him, closing her eyes.

* * *

Tuesday, April 11th, 2028.

Emma woke up the next morning to a letter. She rubbed her eyes, putting on the glasses she wore at night and opened the letter.

_'Emma, _

_Please know that I don't blame you for anything. I could never blame you. You're my little sister and one of my best friends in the world. That is why I had to leave you,  
because I hurt you by turning evil. Because I couldn't fight against the darkness, I will have to put my desire to be around my family aside.  
I don't want to hurt you or anyone else. I miss you and Chris. I miss Mom and Dad. I miss Alana and Matthew. Still, it is in the best interest of my family to stay away._

__

I love you. I miss you.  
Try to move on.

_Wyatt.'_

Emma grabbed a pen from the nightstand beside her bed. She scratched the pen against a piece of scratch paper, making sure it worked.  
She scribbled three words onto the notepad and used all the power she could to orb the notepad to Wyatt.

Afterwards, she pulled her knees close to herself. She stared at a picture frame that held a picture of Wyatt and herself.  
Angrily, she threw her hands up and blew the photo up.

* * *

Wyatt was unnerved when a notepad found its way to him, he looked at the notepad.

Inscribed were three words. 'Fuck you, Wyatt.'

Unable to keep himself together, Wyatt orbed to his hotel room and closed his eyes,  
wondering to himself if he had made the right decision.


	38. Discomfort

Author's Note:

I love everyone for reading this story and for reviewing.

In case you've forgotten, I've got links to pictures of all the Halliwell children in my profile.  
My favorite stories list also has a good selection of Chris stories, if you're looking for one :)

Hateee Exams. At least I get to visit home next weekend.

* * *

_April 11th, 2028._

Alana appeared immediately after hearing the explosion, "Emma! Are you okay?"

Emma was still laying in bed. Emotionless, she asked Alana, "Has he contacted you?"

Alana was taken by surprise, but shook her head, "He won't respond to my calls. He sent Chris a receipt yesterday, telling him that he was okay, but nothing directly to me."

"Why did he leave, Lana?" Emma asked her.

Alana climbed into bed next to her sister-in-law, "He needs time to think."

"To think about what?" Emma demanded.

"He feels horrible about what he did. He could never purposely hurt you, Emma. We know that, but because he did, he's worried that he is going to become evil."

"That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard!" Emma snapped, "Wyatt is one of the best people-" she frowned, looking sad, "And I never told him that."

"Don't feel bad," Alana said with a slight smile, "He knows how much you love him."

"How can you just let it be? You're really pregnant and you already have Matt and you're a social worker and a whitelighter." Emma asked her.

"Wyatt and Chris are my only charges," Alana explained, but still looked sad too, "I guess the truth is that I'm hoping he'll come back."

"What if he never comes back? Would you let him abandon Matt and your future baby?" Emma asked, trying to get a rise out of Alana.

"I can't force him to be with his family, Em. He has to come on his own." Alana didn't seem to believe her own words.

"How can you just let him leave?"

"Wyatt loves us. He loves your parents, your brother, you, me and especially Matthew. So I know he won't stay away for long." Alana repeated.

"Lana, I love you." Emma began, "But your idealism isn't going to get you anywhere."

"He'll come back." Alana said, squeezing Emma tightly.

"Wyatt should have talked to us, explained what he was doing." Emma mumbled.

"Would you have let him go?" Alana asked.

"No," Emma shot bitterly, "But at least I wouldn't have all these questions."

* * *

'Well I've done it.' Wyatt thought to himself, 'I've made her hate me. The more she hates me, the easier it will be for her to let go.'

But Wyatt knew he didn't want his sister to let go. He wanted to go home and to make fun of her. Provoke her and watch her yell obscenities at him.  
He missed his sister and he knew how much he had hurt her by writing such an insensitive letter, but it had to be done.

He missed his son so much. He wanted to orb home and tell his son a bedtime story.

'It's nine am, get a hold of yourself.' He told himself.

Wyatt felt depressed when he thought of all the time he was missing with his family. As a resident at the hospital, he had already lost half his week to his heavily-demanding work schedule.  
Then there was the obvious required time dedicated to sleeping. Now, he was living in a hotel without his wife and without his son and to be honest he was miserable.

He missed his brother. His brother had been his best friend since they were young children.

_Wyatt had been at school for most of the day, but finally his long day was over.  
_

_He walked into the manor, dropping his heavy bookbag on the ground. It hit the tile with a thud.  
_

_Wyatt anticipate his mother's chastising remarks, telling him not to leave his things lying around. _

_Instead, Wyatt walked into to the kitchen to find Chris making out with Bianca. He cleared his throat._

_Chris flushed, breaking away from his kiss, "How were classes, Wy?" _

_"Bianca, Chris is seventeen. What are you doing?" Wyatt asked, ignoring Chris's question. _

_"We're going out." Bianca said, shrugging, "I thought you knew that."_

_"Actually," Chris said nervously, "I didn't tell him, because I didn't want Mom to know." the end of the sentence came out more like a plea. _

_"Chris, you're underage. What she is doing is illegal." Wyatt said, opening the fridge._

_"Actually, it's only illegal if we're having sex." Bianca corrected. __Wyatt glared at her and she tried to smile, "I'm a Criminal Justice major."_

_"Right, then you know that what you are doing is wrong." Wyatt said to her._

___"Well there isn't a clear distinction between 'Mala in Se' and 'Mala Prohibita'." Bianca explained to him, distracted from Chris, who looked clearly confused. _

_"Please, explain away." Wyatt said dryly. _

_"Mala in Se refers to crimes that are morally wrong, while Mala Prohibita refers to crimes that are legally wrong." Bianca smiled, "So, really, if it's not illegal, it's up to the person to decide whether what they're doing is wrong."_

_"It doesn't matter." Wyatt said, still glaring, "He's too young for you." _

_"Wyatt!" Chris snapped, "My eighteenth birthday is in a month and honestly, my love life isn't your business."_

_Wyatt cooled down, "I'm trying to protect you." _

_"From what?" Chris asked, confused._

_"From the demon." Wyatt said, as if it was obvious. _

_"I am not a demon, Wyatt. I'm a Phoenix witch. We are neutral." Bianca shot at him, "You should know that. Demons don't attend magic school." _

_"That's right," Chris reminded, "That's why Derry didn't go to magic school with us." _

_"Just remember your age, Bianca." Wyatt said._

_"I remember my age, Wyatt." Bianca said dryly._

_Wyatt smiled slightly._

_"I knew you were home!" Alana said, unable to hide her excitement as she orbed in. _

_"Hey." Wyatt said, smiling at his girlfriend. He kissed her quickly._

_"Hey Lana, how old are you?" Bianca asked._

_Alana frowned, looking confused, "You've been one of my best friends for over ten years and you don't know how old I am?"_

_Bianca rolled her eyes, "Answer the question."_

_"I'm seventeen." Alana answered, annoyed._

_"Hey Wyatt, how old are you?" Chris asked, playing along._

_"Chris." Wyatt growled. _

_Chris smirked, "How old are you?" _

_"I'm nineteen." Wyatt said, now equally annoyed. _

_"Hey Alana, how old is Bianca?" Chris asked his best friend._

_"What is this?" Alana questioned, still irritated._

_"Just answer the question." Chris said sharply._

_"She's nineteen." Alana hissed._

_"And you're seventeen," Wyatt muttered, "We get it, alright?" _

_"Good." Bianca smirked. _

_

* * *

_

_April 14th, 2028._

"Why didn't you go with Mark?" Leslie asked Emma as the entered Prom.

"I don't want to go with a date, I wanted to go with my best friend." Emma studied her dress.

"You look great, stop worrying." Leslie said, forcing Emma to move forward. Emma stood, frozen, "You need to move forward, you're blocking the entrance." Leslie shrilled.

"I should be at home, mourning." Emma said bitterly.

"No. No more mourning! You're going to lose your mind." Leslie argued.

"Em! come hang out with us." Rachel said, waving to her cousin.

Rachel looked ravishing. Her normally curly hair, was straightened and pulled back into a complicated hairstyle. She was wearing a stunning red dress.  
The dress was silk, sleeveless and flowed nicely.

'I bet I would get a headache if my hair was pulled back that tight.' Emma thought to herself.

"Come on, Em!" Rachel said, pulling Emma and Leslie closer to her group.

Jacob gave Emma an uncomfortable wave, 'You're not making a good impression.' Rachel shot telepathically to Jacob. He cracked a grin, "Why didn't you come with a date, Emma?" he asked.

"She turned down Mark." Leslie said in a tattling tone.

Emma glared at Leslie.

"Mark Wallace?" Kaylee asked. Kaylee's waves had been tamed, she was wearing light makeup and had on a classic white dress.  
Emma had to admit that Kaylee looked quite nice and not overdone, unlike most of the other girls at the dance.

"Yeah." Emma squirmed, thinking of him, then shuddering.

"That guy is a jerk." Chad agreed. His black suit was nice, and his bow-tie was red, matching Rachel's outfit.  
Jacob, Kaylee and Rachel suppressed a knowing expression.

Emma smiled, glad someone had her back.

"But is that worse than being dateless?" Leslie joked with Chad.

"I hate that guy, so I think she made a solid choice." Chad said, arching his brows slightly, "Funny, Leslie, You never liked me, but you support the only bully worse than I am."

"I'm trying to let bygones be bygones? Who knows? Maybe he's a super-genius guardian too." Leslie said, grinning easily.

"That was a compliment." Chad said.

"I was generalizing." Leslie defended.

"Nope. You called me a super-genius. That's a compliment." Chad challenged, a grin on his face.

Leslie sighed, but gave up, "Is he a guardian?"

Chad looked unsure, "Actually, I don't really know. The only guardians I know are Rach and Jake."

"Not yet. Not for five years. Uncle Leo promised." Rachel said, her happy mood deflating.

"Carter told Aunt Paige that he wants to go into training sooner." Jacob remembered suddenly, "Aunt Paige told Mom."

"Have fun with that, guys. I am not being anyone's moral guardian until after college." Emma smirked slightly.

"Agreed." Rachel said immediately afterwards.

"But you love the elders." Leslie teased.

Emma made a disgusted face, "Ugh. Don't remind me of them. I can't even think about the horrors of interacting with those suits."

"Time to vote for class of 2028's prom queen and king. Cast your ballots now!" A voice announced over the speaker.

"Come on." Kaylee said and pulled Jacob towards the booth. Leslie, Emma, Chad and Rachel on their tails.

* * *

"So I was thinking to myself, what better to do on a Friday night than to-" Penny appeared in a mass of orbs, babbling as usual.

Her eyes widened at the sight of Michael and Zoe under the covers. Zoe was topless.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" She flushed and orbed away.

Michael cringed, "Oh God, not good."

Zoe was beet red, "You guys still orb into each other's rooms? Aren't you guys a little old for that?!" Zoe sputtered, sounding angrier than Michael had ever heard her.

"Technically, I don't orb." Michael croaked out, "I fade."

Zoe ignored him, grabbing her clothes and getting dressed, "I'm going after her."

"Is that a good idea?" Michael asked nervously.

"She's my best friend! I have to make this right." Zoe said, glaring at Michael.

Michael could feel the embarrassment radiating off of Zoe, he tried his best to calm her down. Instead he made a critical error, "Do you regret it?"

Zoe rolled her eyes, "Michael, Grow up! Of course I don't regret it. I regret my best friend walking in on us."

* * *

A knock came on the door. Penny shouted, "Go away Carter!" She yelled.

"It's me." A soft voice answered.

Penny rolled her eyes, opening the door to reveal Zoe, "How did you get here, Zo?"

"I drove here." Zoe smiled hopefully, "Licenses come in handy."

"Alright," Penny answered a moment later, "But what are you doing here?"

"I'm making sure you're okay." Zoe answered, sitting on Penny's bed.

"Oh, I'm fine." Penny said, laughing dismissively, "Just a little shocked."

"So you're not mad?" Zoe asked carefully.

"In case you were unaware, Michael is my cousin... not some guy I have a crush on." Penny commented dryly.

"I wasn't saying you like Michael, Penny. You know that." Zoe responded impatiently.

"It was a little weird. I guess I never thought of Michael being sexually active... you know, because he's my cousin and he's my best friend." Penny admitted,  
"But at least he's with you. You're a good couple, Zo."

"I'm glad you think that. I'd be pretty bummed out if you didn't approve." Zoe said, hugging her friend.

"You didn't seriously abandon him, did you?" Penny laughed, thinking of her poor cousin, now alone.

"Nah. He's out in the living room, playing with Nikki." Zoe said a moment later, "I did yell at him."

"God, I'm glad I took that empathy-blocking potion. If he knew what I was feeling, he would have been so embarrassed." Penny grinned mercilessly.

"Come get ice cream with us." Zoe commanded with a smile, dragging Penny out of bed.

"Fine, but only if I get to tease Michael endlessly." Penny smirked slightly.

_

* * *

_

_April 14th, 2028. 9:45 pm. _

Wyatt sighed, reading his clipboard. A young girl had been beaten by her boyfriend, as hospital policy, the police were called.

"Dr. Halliwell is over there." He heard a nurse at the desk point.

"It's a sad case, isn't it?"

'F---' Wyatt thought to himself.

"It's horrible." Wyatt agreed, trying to avert his eyes from the officer in front of him.

"Wyatt, I'm not going to tell Chris. I'm being a professional." Bianca said, he could hear the restrain in her voice.

"Thanks." Wyatt said, relieved.

"I still think you should come home." Bianca said quickly.

"So much for being professional, Bi?" Wyatt asked, almost joking.

Bianca glared at him, which normally did nothing to Wyatt. Somehow the confrontation made him feel guilty.

"Well, I'm sorry," Bianca shot angrily, "Your brother is always depressed, he misses you like crazy. Your sister has lost her mind and your wife..."

"Alana?" Wyatt asked, now concerned.

"She's holding everything together. She shouldn't have to do that. She's pregnant." Bianca said softly.

Wyatt gestured to her stomach, "You look like you should have given birth last week."

"You know that I'm not due for three more weeks." Bianca said, trying to converse without getting upset, "Are you going to be there when she's born?"

Wyatt walked away, trying to find a place to sit. He sat on one of the chairs in the waiting area.

"Wyatt, are you okay?" Bianca asked, she sat in a chair next to him, "Should I get a doctor?"

Wyatt laughed softly, bitterly, "I'm a doctor."

"I wasn't saying you weren't." Bianca said defensively, "I'm just worried about you."

"I'm worried about you too." Wyatt admitted.

"Why?" Bianca questioned, confused.

"Your water just broke."


	39. Teamed

Author's Note:

I love everyone for reading this story and for reviewing.

In case you've forgotten, I've got links to pictures of all the Halliwell children in my profile.  
My favorite stories list also has a good selection of Chris stories, if you're looking for one :)

* * *

_April 14th, 2028. 10:15 PM._

"Bi, calm down." Wyatt said as he pushed her wheel chair near the maternity ward. 'Why now?' Wyatt asked himself, 'Now it'll be impossible to avoid them. Not to mention my niece is early... God, I hope she'll be okay.'

"I can't calm down, Wy!" she shouted, "I don't have an emergency overnight bag yet, we haven't set up the car seat, we haven't pre-registered..."  
Bianca continued to ramble about how unprepared they were.

"It's going to be okay." Wyatt put his hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure his former rival and current friend and sister-in-law, "Brianna is going to be fine."

'Brianna...' Wyatt thought to himself. Saying her name made her seem so real and delicate.

"I'm early!" Bianca panicked still, "Three weeks early!"

"A lot of women give birth prematurely," Wyatt said distractedly, he was trying not to panic, "Look Bi, you know I would never let you or my niece be put in danger, so trust me."

Bianca looked up from her wheel chair and pleaded, "You have to stay."

Wyatt sighed, exasperated, "I can't. I'm a resident, not a OBGYN."

Bianca seceded and then went on, "Someone has to call Chris, he doesn't know where I am." Bianca cried, "I need Chris!"

"I've got it. I'll call your OBGYN and get the family here." Wyatt commented as he wheeled her into her room.

"Please stay," Bianca pleaded, "I'm scared."

"I'm not qualified to do this, Bianca." Wyatt said honestly, "I'll stay here until they get here, but then I have to go."

Wyatt grabbed a notepad from the desk and began to scribble a note.

"What are you doing?" Bianca asked him, she scowled knowingly.

"Getting Chris here." Wyatt said absently.

"You can't write him one of those stupid notes." Bianca countered, "He'll ignore you."

"Whatever." Wyatt said, tearing the paper out of the notepad and orbing it home.

After two minutes of silence, Wyatt scowled to himself, "Just read it, brat."

"He's mad, isn't he?" Bianca asked him irritatedly.

_"Not happening, Wy. I am not reading anymore of these stupid notes. If you've got something important to say, come and find me. Otherwise, I'm going to bed." Chris replied. _

"He's being stubborn." Wyatt answered, now just as annoyed as Bianca.

"Go get him now, Wyatt!" Bianca snapped, furiously, "This isn't the time for your stupid notes!"

Wyatt ignored her, instead writing another note. He sent the note along in orbs.

* * *

"Oh! what is this?" Nikki asked herself when the letter appeared in her hands.

She opened the envelope to find a letter that she couldn't entirely comprehend, "Carter! I need your help!" she called.

Carter appeared instantly and she held out the letter, "What is it? he asked her, confused.

"It's a letter, but I don't understand it." Nikki said.

Carter accepted the letter and began to read it,

_"Nicole, I need you to do me a favor and tell my parents that Bianca has gone into premature labor. I tried to tell Chris earlier, but he ignored me.  
Bianca is fine, she's got a bit of time until she gives birth but she is completely unprepared. She wants an overnight bag brought to the hospital  
and needs Chris to set up a car seat. Get this letter to my parents as soon as possible._

_Thanks so much,  
Wy."_

"Chris's baby is being born." Carter explained to his sister, "We need to tell Aunt Piper."

"Wouldn't it have been faster to orb over to Chris than to write a letter?" Nikki asked Carter.

"You know how it is. Wyatt feels bad for hurting Emma." Carter rolled his eyes, he grabbed Nikki's hand and orbed away.

"But he didn't do it. Evil Wyatt did." Nikki said, as the reappeared in the manor.

"We know that, but he doesn't." Carter said, then called out, "Aunt Piper! Uncle Leo!"

Leo appeared in orbs immediately. Piper came out from the kitchen, "What's wrong?" they both asked.

"Wyatt sent a letter. He said that Bianca is having the baby and that you guys should tell Chris." Nikki answered.

"He sent a letter?" Piper demanded, sounding infuriated at such an idea.

"Alright, this isn't the time." Leo said, taking charge, "Piper, why don't you and Alana create an overnight bag for Bianca. Carter and Nikki, why don't you guys come with me?"

Piper nodded, and yelled out, "Alana!"

"Piper, you scared me." Alana said, rubbing her eyes tiredly, "Carter, Nikki. What are you guys doing here? You guys should be asleep."

"No time for that," Piper averted, "We need to set up a bag for Bianca. She's gone into labor."

"Oh God, she's early." Alana said, a bit more alert, "I'll help, but I need to get Matthew ready too."

Leo held out his hand, Nikki grabbed it and Carter grabbed her hand. The group disappeared in orbs.

"Chris, wake up." Carter said, walking over to the sleeping Chris. He shook him slightly.

"Carter, what time is it?" Chris grumbled, blinking slightly.

"10:45. Bianca is having the baby!" Nikki exclaimed, "Come on! Brianna is being born!"

Chris jumped up immediately, "What? How did you know? Is she okay?"

"Wyatt sent a note..." Leo said awkwardly.

"He what?!" Chris demanded, angrily.

"Not the time." Carter said quickly, "Your wife, having a baby? Priorities!"

"Right, give me a minute." Chris said and began to rummage through his closet.

* * *

_April 14th. 11:30 PM._

"What a pretty dance!" Nikki said in awe as she witnessed the prom.

"Not the time," Carter said and began to search through the crowd of students, he closed his eyes, "I need to find Emma. Help me please." He asked the Elders.

He reappeared in front of a group of teenagers.

"Little young for the Prom, aren't you?" Jacob teased.

"Emmy, Bianca is having the baby." Nikki said, almost rushed.

"Now? But she's early!" Emma responded, concerned.

"We're going to the hospital now." Carter added.

"Alright, I'm coming. Let's go." Emma responded, grabbing Nikki's hand.

"I'm coming too," Rachel agreed, seemingly energized, "I'm sorry, Chad."

"No worries." Chad grinned, "You go too Jacob."

"Right, I'm definitely coming too." Jacob nodded.

"Okay, let's go now, right now." Carter raised his eyebrows.

"Have fun, guys." Rachel smiled at Kaylee, Chad and Leslie.

* * *

_April 15th, 2028. 12:05 AM_

"Dada." Matthew whimpered.

"I miss him too, Matty." Emma said sympathetically, pulling her nephew closer to her chest.

Each moment she looked at him, she remembered future Matthew. The teenager who had come to the past just to "talk".  
Was his father gone in the future? Was that why Future Matthew had come back so many months ago? It wasn't possible...  
Because Matthew had said there was another child after his sister and with all her willpower Emma forced herself to believe Wyatt wouldn't conceive a child during a one-night stand with his estranged wife.

"Work?" Matthew asked Emma.

"That's right. Daddy works here. He's a doctor." Emma smiled softly to herself, she then coerced herself into a distraction, "Hey Matty?" she asked her toddler nephew.

"Yeah?" Matthew asked, his blue eyes sparkled with curiosity. His blue eyes were so familiar to her... whether in this universe or the other world,  
Emma knew they were Wyatt's. Wyatt's blue eyes had left him the odd child out. Chris had bright green eyes were one in the same with their father,  
Emma's eyes were speckled hazel. All her life she had wanted green eye. After all, green was one of her favorite colors, after orange of course.

"You are my sky and stars." she squeezed her nephew reassuringly, almost as if she needed just as much reassurance as he did, "And I will always be here for you, okay?"

He hugged her back securely, making sure she knew he loved her, but a questioned loomed in Matthew's mind, "What about Daddy?"

"He'll come back, Matthew." Emma smiled, she seemed assured of this answer, but Matthew could sense her hesitation.

"When?" He asked unconvinced.

"I don't know, buddy." she said, closing her eyes. She allowed herself to fall into a deep sleep, where her mind could escape.

"Daddy." Matthew whispered and disappeared in orbs.

* * *

"Mikey, where are you? We're heading over to Memorial Hospital." Rachel said into the phone, well no... it was more like shouting. Jacob was driving the car across the Golden Gate Bridge,  
and the wind was blowing swiftly and noisily.

"Tell him we'll come get him if he needs us to." Jacob said, trying not to become distracted by the now heavily pouring rain.

"He said he's with Penny and Zoe." Rachel said loudly into the phone, instead of to Jacob, who she was addressing.

"Who is Zoe?" Jacob asked, distracted.

"His girlfriend, Jake." Rachel rolled her eyes, "Okay. I'll see you guys there." Rachel said to Michael and hung up her cell phone, "Penny's orbing Michael to the hospital."

"So this Zoe girl is the girl he was planning to sleep with?" Jacob asked, slightly proud.

"He what?" Rachel asked, equally disgusted and curious.

"I saw condoms in a plastic bag from the pharmacy." Jacob answered her.

"Why were you going through his things?" Rachel asked. She really didn't want to know about her little brother's sex life.

"I usually rummage through his bags and steal his candy." Jacob laughed.

"Least you're honest." Rachel rolled her eyes, "But you shouldn't pry into your sibling's sex lives."

"That was a plural." Jacob said, now his eyes were on Rachel.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"Rachel, because you're technically older than me, I try not to pry in your romantic life... but don't tell me too much, I might punch Chad's lights out." Jacob alerted her.

"Not that it's your business and I mean that, but we aren't doing anything yet." Rachel answered her brother.

"Yet?" Jacob's ears perched upwards.

"Okayyyyyyy. I am not having this conversation. Let's see what's on the radio." she said in a sassy tone as she turned up the volume and the pair continued across the bridge in the soaking rain.

* * *

"We should be there in ten minutes, uhuh... Yeah. Tell her to hold on. Alright, love you too." Piper said and closed her cell phone.

"How's she doing?" Alana asked, packing the last of the things into the trunk of Piper's SUV.

"She's scared out of her wits." Piper answered, almost smiling, "But that's natural with the first child."

"So your second delivery was better?" Alana questioned, searching for reassurance.

"Well... I had complications, so no. But the third child was the easiest to give birth to and the hardest to deal with post-delivery." Piper teased lightly.

She got into the driver's seat, Alana followed as she got in the passenger seat.

Piper started the engine and the two women hit the road. About three minutes into the drive, Alana unbuckled her seatbelt, "I can get someone to help!"

"Don't tell me we have to turn around." Piper answered impatiently.

"Oh, no worries!" Alana said with a grin, "Meet you there!" she disappeared in orbs.

Alana smiled as she reappeared. She walked across the lawn of her old house and over to her next-door neighbors. She rung the doorbell.  
Nothing happened and Alana rolled her eyes, "Come on, Lynn." She shook her head disapprovingly and orbed into Lynn's room.

"Who is there?" Lynn snapped up when Alana appeared in her room.

"Calm down! It's me, Alana." Alana said blocking herself from damage with her arms.

"Alana, it's late, you better have a pretty damn good reason for being here." Lynn scowled angrily.

"Bianca is in labor, she needs you Lynn." Alana pleaded.

Lynn jumped out of bed, "I'm going to get ready and then let's go. You can orb us there?" she asked.

"Definitely." Alana affirmed.

* * *

Within minutes the two were at the hospital awaiting the arrival of Bianca's baby. Lynn rushed into the hospital room. Bianca looked up, though her strains.

"I'm here, sweetie." Lynn said, holding her daughter's hand, "Everything will be fine."

Bianca nodded grimly, "I'm really scared."

"We won't let anything happen to you." Chris promised as he kissed his wife's forehead.

"So hot." She complained, sweat rolling from her forehead to her cheek.

Chris left for a moment to get some ice and returned, he laid the ice on her forehead, "This will cool you down." He said soothingly.

Bianca laid in bed, just focusing on her breathing.

* * *

"Dada." Matthew giggled when he reappeared in front of his father.

"Matthew?" Wyatt asked, now alarmed. He could imagine his wife or sister now, whomever was watching him was probably panicking and probably about multiple things.

"You need to go back right now." Wyatt commanded.

"Dada work?" Matthew asked his father.

"That's right, buddy. Daddy is working and unfortunately this isn't a good environment for children to be in." Wyatt told his son.

Matthew looked confused, "Dada hug?"

"Matthew, I don't have time for this right now." Wyatt pleaded. The truth was that he was worried the longer Matthew remained with him, the easier it would be for his family to find him.

Matthew looked downcast, "Matt. Go away?" he asked his father, pointing to himself.

Wyatt's heart was crushed and realized how horrible he had been to tell his son he didn't have time for him. Wyatt lifted his son, pulling him to his to chest, "I love you so much, but your Mom has got to be worried sick."

"Aunt Emma." Matthew corrected.

"Aunt Emma must be worried sick then." Wyatt tried to hide a smile at the thought of his sister panicking.

"Nuh-uh. She's sleep." Matthew said knowingly.

"I'll see you soon. I promise you, bud." Wyatt said, he kissed his son's forehead but we've got to get you back.

"Bye." Matthew said, giggling as he began to disappear in orbs.

"No way!" Wyatt reprimanded, grabbed his son out of the orbs, "I'm taking you back myself."

Wyatt carried his son protectively around the hospital, until running into Derry.

"Hey Matthew," Derry said with a grin, "How are you?"

"Der-Der" Matthew giggled happily.

"So you're back with your family?" Derry asked Wyatt, smiling supportively.

"Not quite. The tyke ran away from his Aunt." Wyatt reprimanded slightly.

Derry smiled, "Well, Matthew's a good kid. I hope my son is as loving as Matthew is with you." Derry waved goodbye and continued along.

When Wyatt got to the lobby, where he found his sister sleeping in a dress. He put his son down, "Go back to Aunt Emma before she finds out you're gone."

"I want daddy." Matthew said, looking up at his father dejectedly.

"I'll come see you... Promise." Wyatt said gently, hugging his son tightly and then letting go. Each time he told his son that lie, it became more and more like the truth. He didn't know if he could lie to his son, it just didn't feel right.


	40. Conversation

Author's Note:

I love everyone for reading this story and for reviewing.

In case you've forgotten, I've got links to pictures of all the Halliwell children in my profile.  
My favorite stories list also has a good selection of Chris stories, if you're looking for one :)

LizardMomma, I'm mad at Wyatt too! Luckily, I think he's pretty emotionally invested in his family, so I doubt he'll be able to stay away for long.

* * *

_April 19th, 2028  
1:30 AM _

Chris hadn't called Wyatt since the birth of his daughter. Wyatt wanted to believe that this was a good thing,  
but honestly, Wyatt missed hearing his brother's voice.

He knew it was wrong, but he had to meet his niece.

Wyatt held his breath as he orbed into the nursery.  
Brianna was sleeping in her crib, peaceful and content.

Wyatt had an instinct to warn his brother that it was probably a better idea to have his baby in the same room as the parents for the first few weeks,  
but decided against that.

He was surprised that a newborn baby was sleeping through the night,  
when Matthew was a week-old he would sleep at all kinds of hours.

Wyatt walked over to the crib and a lilac shield appeared. Wyatt took a step back in surprise.

"You have a shield?" He asked his niece, smiling pridefully, "I have one too, but I never use it anymore."

He tried to be as quiet as he could, so that he wouldn't wake Brianna's probably-exhausted parents.

"My son, Matthew had one too. Maybe it's a trait of the oldest child." He said to Brianna, "But it's a good thing, it will help protect you against demons."

He put his hand on her crib, "You know, lots of demons will come after you, but nothing will ever happen." Wyatt walked over to the rocking chair and grabbed the stuffed rabbit perched on the seat,  
He continued, "Your Mom and Dad are both extremely powerful and they would never let anything happen to you, and then there is your grandparents, both sets. You've also got Aunt Emma,  
she'd lose it if she thought you were in danger... and when you're older, cousin Matthew will be there too."

He smiled softly at the sleeping infant, "This stuffed animal is cute, but it isn't the right toy for a newborn. We'll have to find you something better." Wyatt rested his hand on Brianna's crib,  
"It was good to meet you, Brianna."

* * *

_ April 20th, 2028  
2:15 AM _

Wyatt appeared in the nursery, "You know," he began to the infant, "I don't even know your middle name yet."

There was that lilac shield again. Wyatt didn't let that deter him, "If you were older you could tell me, or I could even read your mind. I bet my kids are going to hate that when I'm older." He laughed softly.

He frowned, remembering that he had promised his family that he would stay away to protect them.

"I hope you and my kids are close," He said, pulling a chair closer to the crib so he could sit down, he sighed exhaustedly, "And if not, then I hope you guys will at least be friends."

He checked his watch, "Late shifts are the worst, kiddo." Wyatt remarked, then returned his attention to her, "Your daddy and Aunt Emma are my best friends in the whole world. When we were younger,  
I used to make fun of your daddy. I guess I was just jealous that he was the youngest and was getting all the attention."

"But then... when I was first grade, your Aunt Emma came along. Your father and I banded together against her, because she was loud and smelly  
and we hated that she had invaded our family. By then it had been nearly six years since Mom had your dad and I did not want another baby in the house."

Wyatt made a dry face, "Your Aunt Emma was a loud baby and it didn't get better as she grew up. When she was in kindergarten she loved the color Pink," He grinned a bit,  
"Don't tell her that I told, she'd be furious if anyone knew she had once liked the color Pink. She wanted everything to be pink, because it represented 'Happiness', so she cast her first spell  
and the entire house became Pink."

Wyatt flicked the mobile slightly, it jingled, "Your grandma was furious. Of course, Chris and I were more upset. All of our possessions were Pink, this was not cool! Your Dad was in fifth grade and I was  
in my first year of Junior High. Pink was not a popular color with boys thirteen years ago, it still isn't." He laughed gently.

"I'll have to tell you about your daddy sometime." Wyatt smiled and disappeared in orbs.

* * *

_April 21st, 2028  
2:30 AM_

Wyatt grinned slightly as he appeared. He gingerly laid a rattle in the crib next to the sleeping Brianna.

She opened her eyes in surprise. As usual, the lilac shield appeared protectively.

"Alright, so we were talking about your Dad. Well, when I almost two when he was born." Wyatt searched his mind for memories, "I don't remember much about his early months.  
But when I was about 2 and half, your dad swallowed a marble. Mom went nuts about it, but he was fine."

Wyatt pulled the same chair forward, "Your dad's best friend has been your Aunt Alana since they were about five. I always secretly believed the two of them were going to get married.  
Instead, she ended up with me and your Dad ended up with your Mom."

He smirked, "Your Mom and I used to be rivals in high school, trying to outdo each other in everything. Your mom is a talented athlete and now she is police officer." He continued on,  
"Most of the time, Phoenixes are thought of as demon or evil witches, but your Mom is the opposite. Her job is to protect the innocents and she does a really good job."

Brianna was now eying the rattle curiously, "And when I found out your Mom and Dad were getting married, I was kind of annoyed. Your dad was twenty-one and still in school. He was in his  
last year of studying to become a social work. Grandma was worried too. Chris didn't have a job yet and Bianca had just become a police officer, she didn't want them moving too far away."

He grinned, "So Grandma and Grandpa helped the two of them get a loan and they moved next door. Now Grandma spies on your parents every day." he looked at the newly plastered birth certificate,  
"Brianna Melinda... I like that. Both of those names root back to Warren history. Melinda started our family line and Brianna was after her time."

He thought he heard a noise and looked at his niece, "Gotta go, Bee." He said and disappeared.

* * *

_April 22nd, 2028  
12:30 _

Brianna was waiting in anticipation for her visitor, when he suddenly appeared. Brianna gurgled happily in response. Wyatt smiled, "Hey Bee. Did you have a good day?"

He put his hand on the crib, waiting for her lilac shield to appear. "You trust me?" He asked, almost frowning. His face betrayed his feelings, because inside he was overjoyed.

"Shouldn't she? You're her uncle." Chris appeared from behind the door.

"Chris, I'm-" Wyatt began, feeling horrible.

"You left the chair out last night. I figured it had to be you. No one else admitted it was them." Chris began.

Wyatt noticed how exhausted Chris looked. He felt sympathetic, remembering his first week as a parent,  
"I shouldn't have come, this isn't my place." Wyatt admitted.

"You love her. It's natural. I love Matthew, so I know how you feel. Just come home and hold her. She needs to know her uncle." Chris begged, trying to bring his brother home.

"I can't" Wyatt said immediately.

"Wyatt-" Chris began, almost pleading.

"No, Chris, I can't." Wyatt answered and disappeared in orbs.

Brianna began to cry in response to the tension. Chris walked over to his daughter and picked her up, "I miss him too." He began to bounce her up and down gingerly.


	41. Effort

Author's Note:

I love everyone for reading this story and for reviewing.

In case you've forgotten, I've got links to pictures of all the Halliwell children in my profile.  
My favorite stories list also has a good selection of Chris stories, if you're looking for one :)

In case it's confusing about Chris remembering the bad world and the good world, they assembled about ten chapters ago.  
Which is why Chris chilled out a bit, but still retained some of his neurotic tendencies.

* * *

_April 25th, 2028._

"What's wrong, Emma?" Leo asked his daughter. She had been awfully quiet during the fifteen minute drive to San Francisco City Hall.

"It's been three weeks and Wyatt still isn't home. I thought he'd at least come for my award ceremony." Emma said honestly. She never really  
talked about her emotions with her family, but confessing her hurt feelings helped her a bit.

"I'm sorry, honey." Piper said sadly from the driver's seat, "If he doesn't come soon, I'm going to drag him back myself."

"Piper, he's not a kid anymore. He's allowed to make his own decisions." Leo said to his wife.

"Not if they're the wrong decisions." Piper corrected, impatiently, "Leo, he has a son and a wife and he's about to have another baby too, he can't just walk away from that."

"Well, he has to come back on his own." Leo said, moving his shoulders slightly, "I think the longer we bother him, the longer he is going to stay away. With us calling him everyday,  
he hasn't had time to miss us."

Emma glared at her father, "Well, I've had time to miss him and the minute I see him, I'm going to kick his ass."

"Language." Piper warned her daughter.

"I have a hard time believing you guys are willing to let Wyatt abandon us." Emma remarked.

"I left my family before Chris was born, so I understand it." Leo explained.

"Leo, that's a horrible example. Chris hated you for leaving him and you didn't stay far for long." Piper told her husband, unwilling to disclose that Leo had left his children behind to become an Elder.

Leo sat in silence as they pulled into the city hall's parking lot. Emma opened the door and hopped out of the car.

"Oh Emma!" Alana said, running up to her sister-in-law, unfortunately because of how heavily pregnant she was, it was more of jogging waddle. She threw her hands around Emma, "We are so proud of you."

"Thanks Lana." Emma said gratefully.

"I love that headband." Alana said, studying the white headband with a white bow situated to one side.

Emma grinned, "That's because you gave it to me when you were my age."

"It's in perfect condition... did you not like it?" Alana asked, confused.

"No, I loved it!" Emma assured, "I just took good care of it, because it meant a lot to me."

"Awww. Emma, you're growing up so fast." Alana said, trying to calm herself.

"Lana... where is Matthew?" Emma questioned, panic filled her.

"We got him." Chris joked lightly as he came up behind Alana and Emma. Chris was holding Matthew's hand, Bianca was at Chris's side, holding onto Brianna.

Emma walked over to Bianca, asking to hold Brianna. Bianca gratefully accepted. Emma grinned at her niece, "Hello Bee. How are you today?"

Chris winced and Emma gave him a curious expression, "We're going to be late, come on." He said to his sister, gently prompting her to move forward.

* * *

"We congratulate all of our city scholars, they have done wonderful works that have bettered our city. Our last scholar is Prudence Emily Halliwell." The president of the association sponsoring the scholarship said to the audience of 100.

"Hi, I'm Prudence Emily." Emma smiled shyly, "But I prefer Emma. I would like to thank all the sponsors and each of the committee members for choosing me for this award.  
Just know that your investment in my education is an investment in all future children. I aspire to become an elementary school teacher and I am deeply grateful for this scholarship.  
I will put my full dedication into making sure every cent is worthwhile. Thank you." she said politely and handed back the microphone to the president of the association.

"Emma is graduating from her high school in May and will be pursuing a degree in the new school of Education at Santa Clara University. She earned a 3.7 gradepoint average,  
we congratulate her and wish her the best."

Chris watched his sister with admiration, remembering the world part of him had originated from.

_"What do you want to do when you get older?" Chris had asked his fifteen year old sister._

_"Why does it matter? It's not like I'll be able to do anything. We have no money, no family and no time." Emma had grumbled as she pushed a stick the through the sand._

_"You can't think that way." Chris chastised his sister, inching closer to her, "It's not good."_

_"Not good? Chris, are you delusional? We have NOTHING. Grandpa's dead, Mom is dead, the Aunts are dead, Katie's dead, Rachel's dead and so is Jake." Emma shot at him angrily._

_"They wouldn't want you to be like this." Chris reminded her, "Especially Mom."_

_"Mom is dead, so who cares?" She grumbled, pulling her knees closer to herself, "Jake just died last year and I miss him everyday... We weren't even that close and I still miss him everyday."_

_"We can change it." Chris brought up suddenly._

_"Right, well why don't you go and challenge Wyatt so I can mourn another family member's death." Emma said hopelessly._

_"What do you want to be when you grow up?" Chris repeated._

_Emma rolled her eyes, but answered honestly, "Safe."_

_"You're safe right now." Chris had told her._

_"How am I safe? I can't fight Wyatt. I can't freeze him, I can't blow him up and I can't vanquish him. One day, when he gets it through his thick skull, he's going to realize he doesn't need me  
and then you'll be attending my funeral."_

_Chris's heartbeat quickened, "Are you trying to give me an anxiety attack?" He cracked, trying to joke._

_"Promise me when he does it that you won't give up." Emma said seriously._

_"What? He's not going to kill you!" Chris yelled at her._

_"If you convince yourself that, it's going to hurt more when I'm gone." Emma said, standing up._

_Chris stood up too and pulled her arm back, "I promise you he won't hurt you and I'm going to make this better."_

_Emma turned away, she shook for a moment and Chris pulled her into a hug, "How?" she croaked out._

_"I'm going to go back."_

"Chris?" Emma asked him, waving her hand in front of him with a slight smile.

"Sorry, what?" He asked her apologetically.

"You need to get more sleep, bro." She laughed.

Chris felt himself pull Emma into a hug, "I'm so proud of you." He said with a smile.

Emma hugged him back... awkwardly, "Thanks. I'm glad you came. I wish Wy had come though."

"Me too." Chris admitted.

* * *

_April 30th, 2028._

Chris hated hospitals. He hated them because every time he was in one someone was either dying or giving birth.  
Chris didn't like babies. At least not many. He made exceptions for his own baby and his brother's children, mostly because he had to.  
And not many people like the concept of their family dying... it was a given.

"Chris! How are you?" Chris blinked, turning around.

'Derrick... of course.' Chris thought bitterly to himself, 'Wyatt's right hand, no matter what.'

"Hey Derrick, how are you?" Chris forced himself to smile.

"Well, I'm not at home listening to my screaming son... so I'm good." Derrick joked lightly.

"You have a son?" Chris blurted out.

"Man, it's been so long since I talked to you." Derrick said in surprise and pulled his wallet out, he flipped to a picture of a male infant.

"Cute kid." Chris said with a smile, "What's his name?"

"Dylan. Dylan Tyler." Derrick smiled, "He was born in December. He's my pride and joy. I heard you had a kid too."

"Yeah," Chris nodded, "Brianna Melinda, she was born two weeks ago."

"Under a month?" Derrick asked, with a mix between a grim and amused expression, "That's rough. It'll get better."

"I'm hoping so." Chris said, suddenly tired, "Uh hey, Der, is Wyatt working?"

Derrick shook his head, "No, he got off a shift earlier this morning. Sorry man."

"Do you know when he's working this week?" Chris asked.

"We're not supposed to give out that information-" Derrick began hesitantly.

Chris stopped him, "It's okay."

"But I'm going to anyway," Derrick continued, surprising Chris, "I want him to go home to you guys. You're his family, he needs you guys and you guys need him."

Chris looked up, grateful, "Thank you so much, Der."

Derrick turned for a moment, "Stay right here, I'll be back in a minute."

Chris waited patiently, watching the doctors and various other medical workers helped injured people. He wondered to himself if he could be a doctor but shook off the thought,  
muttering to himself about, 'Vietnam-esque flashbacks.'

"Alright, I wrote all his shifts for you." Derrick said when he had returned, he handed Chris the scrap of paper, "This is as much as I could find. Schedules aren't planned too much in advance, so it's good until next weekend."

"No, this is great. Thank you." Chris said appreciatively.

"Good luck, Chris. Bring him home." Derrick said encouragingly.

Chris nodded, "I'm going to try my hardest."

* * *

_May 3rd, 2028._

Chris really hated hospitals. He hated them even more than last week.  
There had been a large accident and there were two or three dozen bleeding individuals in the waiting room.

'I should be used to it.' Chris thought to himself grimly, but shook the thought.

The real reason he hated hospitals was because this is where he was going to have his conflict with Wyatt.

He didn't know how Wyatt was going to react. Was he going to give up and come home? 'Not likely,' Chris thought to himself bitterly, 'Wyatt doesn't give up.'  
Was Wyatt going to turn around and attack him; to try and physically force him. 'That's even less likely.' Chris told himself.

No, what Chris feared was that Wyatt would be entirely apathetic and that would be the worst. To know that Wyatt didn't care about his family anymore  
and that he didn't plan on coming back, but then again... 'He can't stay away... at least not from his niece.' Chris wondered if he could use this to his advantage.

As Chris entered the bathroom, he checked for any observers. He closed his eyes, willing his body to find Wyatt and to his surprise, it did.

Wyatt was sitting outside of a patient's room, going over some charts. Chris smiled, remembering when Wyatt had been in Medical School.

_"You're going to lose your mind." Twenty-one year old Chris teased his brother._

_Wyatt rolled his eyes, "Not all of us have easy majors, like social work."_

_"It's not as easy as you would think." Chris said, laying on the couch, happy to be pestering his brother._

_"If you're going to keep pestering me, then go back to your own house." Wyatt grumbled._

_"You are not normally this grumpy, Wy." Chris smiled._

_"Finals suck. Med school sucks. Hell week sucks. Paying for med school sucks. Having a baby that cries at every hour sucks." Wyatt rattled on._

_"Come on, it's not Matthew's fault that you're stressed out." Chris defended._

_"No, but his crying isn't helping." Wyatt complained._

_"You want me to watch him?" Chris offered lazily._

_Wyatt looked up, tears forming in his eyes, "Would you really do that?"_

_Chris laughed in surprised, "You must be really stressed out. Sure, I love Matthew. I'll take him for a bit."_

_"Can you take Emma too?" Wyatt asked._

_Chris smirked, "Even I'm not that self-loathing."_

Chris walked over to the bench where Wyatt was sitting, "Chris-" Wyatt began.

"Can we just talk?" Chris asked him, trying to sooth his nerves.

"Chris-"

"Wy, please."

"Fine." Wyatt conceded.

"I didn't mean to scare you off with Brianna. She must really like you, Wy. She raises her shield to everyone unless we tell her not to and even then she disobeys us." Chris smiled slightly.

"I shouldn't have visited her... I just wanted to see her." Wyatt sounded like he was trying to apologize.

"Personally, I'm glad you visited her. I want her to know you, Wy. I don't know what I would feel like if I knew about Matthew and I couldn't talk to him." Chris answered honestly,  
"But, why don't you come over during the day?" Chris laughed a bit.

"For once, why don't you stop trying to say what I want to hear and say what you feel?" Wyatt asked his brother.

Chris groaned, "You really want to know what I think?"

Wyatt nodded, hoping to provoke him.

"I'm mad that you choose to send me a note instead of personally telling me that my wife was in labor and I think it was the most selfish move you could have ever made. I'm sad for our sister  
who went to her award ceremony, hoping that you would show up. I'm sad for your children too, but I'm not going to go into that. So stop being an asshole and just fucking come home, because  
I'm tired of this shit."

Wyatt looked annoyed, "For someone who wants me home, you sure aren't thinking nice things about me."

"Because you're acting like a kid! But you're not a kid, Wyatt!" Chris snapped.

Wyatt rolled his eyes, "I can't afford to get angry, just go, Chris."

"Wy..." Chris began.

"No Chris. I'm a doctor, I can't afford to be angry, it ruins the quality of my care and then other people are hurt, so just go."

* * *

May 5th, 2028.

Emma walked through the hospital, telling herself that one of these days she would need to get better acquainted with where everything was.

She grinned, "Good! I thought you were going to make it hard to find you."

"Em." Wyatt warned.

"Oh come on. You look like you're on your way out, good, you can hang out with me."

"For lunch," Wyatt specified, "I only have an hour."

"Good, then you can come to lunch with me." Emma didn't give in.

"No." Wyatt said.

"Puh-lease, Wyatt. Let's go to lunch. No strings attached." Emma tried to smile.

Wyatt sighed, "Fine. Lunch. No promises to come home or anything."

"Progress!" she exclaimed happily, "This is good. My car is right over there, let's go."

Wyatt nodded, following her. She unlocked the jeep and the got in.

"Where do you want to go to lunch?" She asked him.

He shrugged, "Doesn't matter."

"Good." She smirked.

"But not Mom's restaurant." Wyatt added a moment later.

"Didn't cross my mind." Emma said innocently.

"Liar." Wyatt accused.

"Fine, it did. But more as a joke than anything else." Emma teased.

* * *

"Pizza?" Wyatt asked Emma, "You had to pick something that unhealthy."

"Oh yes, this is why I want you home, so you can lecture me about my choice in food, my choice in college and every other choice." Emma said dryly.

"Just saying." Wyatt finished.

"Those doctorly instincts are going to be fantastic when your daughter is born." Emma observed, taking a sip of her Sprite.

"Daughter?" Wyatt honed in.

Emma covered her mouth, knowing she shouldn't have told him.

"Alana had an ultrasound?" He asked her, surprised and hurt at the same time.

"Not exactly," Emma cringed, "I met her... and Matthew like six months ago."

"What do you mean you met them?" Wyatt asked, he was ready to admonish her for the personal gain.

"A twenty-year old Matty came from the future to hang out with me... he was going to stay, but then your daughter and Brianna came and dragged him back to the future."

"You never felt the need to mention this to me?" Wyatt asked, arching his brow.

"I didn't want to spoil the future." Emma tried to hide her smile.

"It's not spoiling the future," Wyatt said, annoyed, "It's important for me to know I have a girl."

"Not if you don't plan on coming back." Emma said coolly.

Wyatt sighed, "This was a bad idea."

Emma looked him, now panicked, "No! I'm sorry, please don't go."

"How is Matthew?" Wyatt asked, staring at his glass of water.

"He's physically fine, but he misses you. I think he dreams about you." Emma looked almost puzzled.

"Why do you think that?" Wyatt queried.

"Well he'll start babbling sometimes about 'Daddy said see me'. I think he dreams that you said you would visit him." Emma frowned, but shrugged.

Wyatt sunk lower, 'I'm a horrible dad.' he thought to himself.

"Wy?" Emma asked.

"Sorry," Wyatt said, giving his attention to her, "How did you guys know when I was working?"

"Good guesses?" Emma offered.

"Hardly." Wyatt shot.

Emma rolled her eyes, "Chris had your shifts written down a piece of a paper."

"And after he couldn't get me to come home, he sent you?" Wyatt questioned, his brows arched.

Emma grinned, "Actually, I stole the sheet from him. He wouldn't let me see it on my own."

"How did he get my shifts?"

"Derry, I think." Emma guessed.

"You seem real at ease about this, the last time we communicated you told me 'fuck you'." Wyatt looked at his sister, almost chastising her.

"I was mad. I couldn't believe I didn't matter enough for you to say goodbye to me." Emma looked a bit hurt, "But like I said, no strings attached lunch."

"And you don't want anything?" Wyatt asked suspiciously.

"I would love for you to come home, but if I push you, then you're going to ask me how I feel and then tell me you're too cool to be seen with me." Emma joked.

"Emma, that was a serious argument." Wyatt snapped.

"Puh-leaseeeeee. You were setting him up for that and you know it, I'm just surprised he doesn't know it." Emma smirked.

"He's stubborn." Wyatt said.

"He misses you." Emma smiled sadly, "I wish you would come meet Brianna. She's beautiful, Wyatt and she is such a good baby."

Wyatt nodded sadly, "Me too."

* * *

"You aren't supposed to park here." Wyatt admonished, when she pulled into an emergency lane for ambulances.

"Cut it out, Wy." Emma said.

"Bye Em." Wyatt said, getting out of the car, "Thanks for lunch. I still think you should save your money for school."

"If you had come to my award ceremony, you would have known I have plenty of money for school." Emma joked. She opened her car door and jumped out, she  
walked to the other side of the car and wrapped her arms around Wyatt.

"Em?" He asked, confused. Emma didn't do hugs.

"I just need to remember you." Emma said, smiling sadly, "Bye Wy."

He squeezed her reassuringly, "Bye Em."

As she got back into the driver's seat of her jeep, she looked at him earnestly, "Go visit your son. Explain to him what's happening, he deserves that."

* * *

May 6th, 2028.  
1:30 AM.

Wyatt orbed into his son's bedroom. He was contently asleep. Wyatt peered in on Alana, she was tossing and turning.  
Wyatt noticed how much her stomach had grown... 'How much our baby has grown.' He noted.

So much of Wyatt wanted to climb into bed next to his wife and hold her securely, to make her and their baby feel safe again.  
He knew he couldn't do this without getting attached.

"Daddy?" A sleepy Matthew asked his father, from the door frame.

"Go to sleep, buddy." Wyatt said warily.

"You came back." Matthew said happily.

Wyatt didn't have the heart to tell his son, "No."

"I have to go." Wyatt murmured sadly.

"Daddy, No." Matthew began to break into hysterics. Wyatt looked at his son in horror.

Hurriedly, Wyatt grabbed his son and took him back to his bed, "Shhh... Mommy's asleep."

"Story." Matthew demanded, using his tears as leverage against his father.

Wyatt sighed, pulling a book off of the book shelf and began to read 'Go Dog Go'

Matthew giggled at random parts and part of Wyatt's heart swelled with joy to see his son so happy, but another part hoped no one else in the house would wake up.

After Wyatt finished, he stood up, "I love you." He said and began to orb away.

"No!" Matthew shrieked, breaking into sobs.

Wyatt could feel the power of his scream as he was thrown into a wall by the force. Wyatt looked up in surprise, "Matthew?"

"Don't go." Matthew sniffled.

Wyatt walked over to his son, he gingerly picked him up and took his downstairs. Wyatt laid on the couch, his son held tightly to his chest, "I'm not going anywhere." he pet his son's hair comfortingly,  
"I'm not going anywhere." He rubbed his son's back, trying to calm him from his sobs.


	42. Rest

Author's Note:

I love everyone for reading this story and for reviewing.

In case you've forgotten, I've got links to pictures of all the Halliwell children in my profile.  
My favorite stories list also has a good selection of Chris stories, if you're looking for one :)

Thanks for the reviews, guys! They really made my weekend.  
(When did I become such a baby?)

* * *

_May 6th, 2028._

Wyatt stirred, trying to recall why he was in the Manor. He smiled at his sleeping son. He then stood up and walked forward, before being repelled back by an electric shock.  
He closed his eyes, focusing the shock on his body and protecting his son from harm.

When he opened his eyes, he turned around to see his see that his son was safe. He sighed, relieved.

"A crystal cage! Really?" Wyatt shouted angrily, furious that someone had choose to leave his son with him when trapping him in the cage.

"Good morning, Wyatt." Piper replied coolly as she came in from the kitchen sipping her coffee.

"Mom?" Wyatt asked, surprised. He could imagine his sister doing it out of anger or his brother out of hope,  
maybe even his wife if she was desperate enough, but his mother? It felt like betrayal of trust.

"Well, I didn't want you running off." Piper said, still as cold.

'Wow, she's pretty pissed.' Wyatt observed, 'I wonder what has been going on in the last month.'

"Why didn't you take Matthew away from me before setting the cage?" Wyatt asked her, he was genuinely upset at the prospect of his son being hurt.

"He's asleep and he looked quite content that way." Piper explained.

Wyatt looked at his sleeping son, realizing he had still not woken up.

"Look, I know it's been about sixteen years since Emma was a toddler, but crystal cages hurt people. Including children, more specifically Matthew." Wyatt was not happy.

"I'm going to break the cage, but you have to promise you're going to stay." Piper said sternly, ignoring his remark.

Wyatt remained furious, but gave in, "Of course I'm staying."

"Promise your son." Piper said, not backing down.

'She knows I can't lie to him.' Wyatt thought miserably to himself.

"You can't-" Wyatt began indignantly.

"I'm serious, Wyatt. Promise your son you aren't going to abandon him." Piper ordered.

Wyatt sighed, shaking his sleeping son slightly, "Daddy, still here!" Matthew told Piper, when he opened his eyes.

"That's right." Piper smiled, "He has something to tell you."

Wyatt held his son to his chest, "I'm not leaving." He promised, staring in his son's admiring blue eyes.

"Today?" Matthew asked him, curiously.

Wyatt was wounded at the fair question, "Not ever." Wyatt held his son tightly, "I promise."

Matthew grinned, "I love you, Daddy!"

"I love you too, bud." Wyatt hugged his son securely, "Thanks for bringing me home."

Matthew looked confused at the remark, but happy nonetheless, "I bring'd daddy home?"

"Matthew, go upstairs. I'll come get you in a minute." Piper said warmly to her grandson.

"Daddy?" Matthew asked, wanting his permission.

"Go, I'm not going to go anywhere." He told his son, reassuringly.

Matthew disappeared in orbs.

"Did anyone see me?" Wyatt asked his mom.

"Is that all you care about?" Piper answered him, displeased by the question.

"It's a question, Mom." Wyatt shot back.

"No one saw you. I cast a spell to make you invisible to everyone else." Piper answered, "I wanted to talk you before they saw you."

"And Alana wasn't worried about Matthew?" Wyatt asked, confused.

"I told her your dad had taken him out for the day." Piper replied, "But we need to talk."

She removed a crystal, effectively breaking the cage. Piper then sat next to him, she drew him into a tight hug, "Mom?" Wyatt asked, almost worried.

"We missed you," Piper began to sob, "You can't ever do this again."

"I won't." Wyatt promised, pulling her forward, "Don't cry. I'm not going to do anything like this again."

Piper nodded, breaking the hug, "We need you, Wyatt. We love you for so many reasons and you leaving without so much as a goodbye really hurt us."

"I'm sorry." Wyatt apologized.

"Do you know why we love you so much, Wyatt?" She asked.

Wyatt shook his head, he knew why people hated him... He always heard their negative thoughts about him.

"Wyatt, you're a gentle person. You are so much like your father in that aspect." Piper smiled slightly, "You are optimistic and generous and you are so loving towards others.  
And you're a healer... in more way than one."

"But I hurt Emma." Wyatt said dejectedly, "I didn't want to hurt you too."

"If you had talked to us about your feelings, instead of running away, we could have helped you through this." Piper looked at him, "Your brother and sister miss you more than anything.  
They talk about you all the time."

"I miss them too." Wyatt admitted.

"Wyatt, sweetie, You are too old to run away from your problems. It isn't healthy and it impacts more people than just yourself." Piper said, "You have a wife and a son and another baby on the way,  
you need to think about what is best for them. You don't want to wake up one day and realize you've estranged your entire family."

"Do you think Alana will forgive me?"

"I certainly hope so." Piper responded.

* * *

"Aunt Piper?" Rachel called when she appeared in the living room. She grinned, "Good! no one is here."

Or so she believed, moments later, a million thoughts began to run through her head, 'And if she doesn't forgive me... will I be okay? What will happen to our family?'

"Hello?" Rachel repeated, she knew she was dipping into someone's thoughts, but wasn't sure of who.

'Damn telepathy, it's such a headache.' Rachel thought to herself.

'It wouldn't be a headache if you would try to control the power.' A thought commented back to her.

Rachel frowned, confused, "Okayyy. I'm losing my mind."

'That's what happens when you skip school.' A thought remarked.

'Yeah... Time to go.' Rachel thought.

She faded away. Wyatt came out of the shadows, stifling his laughter.

He had missed messing with his cousins' heads.

* * *

"And I don't know what Alana is trying to accomplish by lying to-" Chris began to ramble as he orbed in, at the same time Emma had also appeared, with her own list of complaints, "So Rachel is spreading this rumor-"

Both stopped, "Wyatt?" The siblings questioned in unison, disbelief apparent.

"Hey guys." Wyatt said with an uncomfortable smile. He knew there would be a time eventually when he would come home and have to face his entire family,  
but now he was incredibly nervous. What if they hated him? Yesterday, Emma had seemed so relaxed, but what if it was a ruse? Who was he kidding? It was a ruse.

"Is he staying?" Chris asked Emma, curiously. He seemed to be ignoring Wyatt entirely.

"What is he doing here, is someone dead?" Emma returned with her own question.

"But he isn't crying and you know Wyatt, he cries when he's sad." Chris continued.

"Maybe someone cast a spell to rid him of all water in his body." Emma speculated.

"I think the human body would collapse without water." Chris told his sister, "But maybe it was something else magical."

"Guys?" Wyatt asked, clearly amused at the conversation before him. His siblings had a habit of ignoring him  
and bantering on whenever they were angry with him.

"Well?" Emma asked Wyatt.

"Well the human body is composed of lots of water... so if someone had cast a spell to rid my body of water I'd be dead." Wyatt explained, a little confused.

Chris rolled his eyes, "She meant to ask if you were staying."

"Oh," Wyatt answered uncomfortably, "Yeah, I'm back."

"For good?" Emma asked suspiciously.

Wyatt nodded.

Emma thrust herself into Wyatt's arms. Wyatt blinked in surprise, catching her. Chris followed from behind, hugging the back of Wyatt.  
Wyatt gave Emma a tight hug and turn around to give Chris the same hug. He looked at his two siblings, frowning, "Guys, are you crying?"

While both his brother and sister were very temperamental and passionate, neither seemed to cry often. Wyatt watched the sight in awe, feeling not only guilty but concerned.

Chris wiped his tears away, embarrassed, "We missed you a lot, Wy."

Wyatt tried to smile encouragingly, but instead felt himself trapped in guilt, "I never meant to hurt you guys... geez, I was stupid."

"Incredibly." Emma agreed.

Wyatt gave her a reprimanding look, to which she tried to smile, "If you do it again, I'll have to blow you up."

"Can you guys forgive me?" Wyatt pleaded.

"You're staying?" Chris asked again.

Wyatt tried to push aside his impatience, "I promise."

"Then you're forgiven." Chris answered simply.

"That easily?" Wyatt asked, unbelieving.

"We love you, Wyatt. We need you and when you left it felt strange... dark almost." Emma responded grimly.

"Like a part of us was missing." Chris elaborated, "It wasn't a nice feeling."

Wyatt understood, because he felt the same way. He had tried to be happy and to be himself, but the world  
felt so much scarier without his family by his side.

"So yeah," Emma grinned, "Don't leave again, because I don't like pain."

"Me being around you caused pain. I shot you with a darklighter arrow." Wyatt frowned.

Emma rolled her eyes, "Oh please, like _you _could hurt **me**." She snorted.

"Then explain why you were dying until our kid cousins had to intercept?" Wyatt demanded.

"Not again." Chris complained, rolling his eyes.

"Oh that wasn't you." Emma said matter of fact, "Trust me, I know. If you had called me Prudence, you'd be long gone."

Emma smirked at Wyatt's dumbfounded expression.

"I'm inclined to agree." Chris commented from his corner, "Last time you called her Prudence, she nearly set the house on fire."

"Em..." Wyatt pleaded.

Emma smiled, almost sadly and hugged Wyatt, whispering the words, "Let it go. You're safe. I'm safe. Our family is safe."

Wyatt returned the hug, hoping for the same comfort as before.

"Family is important. Family is a permanent concept, but not a permanent state. This is a perfect world, but don't hold it so high that it disappoints you." Emma remarked. Chris felt himself smile,  
remembering his mother's words.

"She's right, Wy." Chris added, "You're home now, you don't need to keep looking. This is where you belong, with me and Em and mom and dad."

"And right now, I've got homework. If you're not here for dinner, I will blow up your sorry ass.  
I don't care if you're 'twice-blessed', you'll be nothing compared to me if I'm 'twice-pissed'." Emma remarked, leaving the brothers.

"She's a charmer." Wyatt commented, dryly.

"I heard that!" Emma shouted from the door frame of her bedroom.

"She's just happy that you're back," Chris answered his brother, "I wasn't worried. It was fate for you to come back."

Wyatt nodded, not really agreeing with the statement. Wyatt didn't believe in fate. It was his personal belief that each human being made choices and those  
choices had consequences. Unfortunately, few in his family, or in the world, shared his opinion, labeling it as 'blasphemy'. (That's what Penny had called him, a  
blasphemer against wise grandmother Patricia's great words that "everything happened for a reason.")

Chris believed that fate dictated all the unexplainable events that occurred in their family's life. Wyatt argued that those believing in fate usually agree not to fight  
against it.

"You don't believe in fate?" Chris asked, arching an eyebrow at his brother's still expression.

Wyatt elaborated with a smile, "If you believed in fate, you wouldn't have fought so hard to save me... you wouldn't have died for me."

"Wrong," Chris shot back, almost grinning, "It was your destiny to be good. That I know with all my heart."

Wyatt thought about Chris's statement. Chris rarely made decisions based off of his emotions, he was more calculating than that. Wyatt knew he could  
have argued this point, but left it alone. Wyatt tried not to smile, but his brother always knew the right thing to say, that is until he uttered this line.

"By the way, Bianca wants her fifty dollars. She went into labor a week before her twenty-fifth birthday... so she won the bet." Chris looked like her was trying to hide his laughter.

Wyatt scowled. He hated losing bets. Especially against Bianca Avery.

* * *

Emma reread her assigned reading several times, but never completely absorbing the information. She didn't know why she was in a class on telekinesis...  
She didn't have the power of telekinesis and she didn't want the power. It was such a common power in her family, really. Her deceased Aunt Prue had possessed the power,  
which was another reason she didn't want the power.

_"I find it highly appropriate that you were named for our dead aunt. She didn't make it past thirty. You won't make it past eighteen." _Wyatt had said to her.

"No," Emma mumbled to herself, throwing her textbooks off her bed, "I've made it this far, I can keep going..."

_December 2026. Dark Future. _

_Bianca was dead. Chris was gone. Wyatt might as well be gone. Her parents were dead. Actually, that was a lie of omission.  
Her mother had died when she was eight. Her father was missing... He'd been missing for a year now.  
Her Aunts, Paige and Phoebe, were both dead too. Along with her three cousins, by her Aunt Phoebe.  
Katie had died first, in 2019. Rachel died in 2022, trying to exact revenge on Wyatt. By 2024, Jacob had no will to live anymore.  
He didn't have his parents or his siblings. He had gone after Wyatt, trying to free his father and Uncle Henry. _

_Emma knew it wasn't long before Wyatt would tire of her insolence and come after her. _

_Still, Emma couldn't give up. She needed to save her nephew. Matthew was barely over a year old, unable to protect himself, he needed someone with an active power to stay by his side.  
Alana had gotten herself killed... She had barely been twenty-two, when she died. The same age Emma's brother, Chris was. _

___Emma was nearing seventeen. She held onto every ounce of strength she could. _

___She hated knowing that if she died, that no one would miss her. She didn't have significant others like her brothers.  
Not that Emma would consider Alana, Wyatt's significant other. _

___Bianca had been Chris's fiance. To say Emma was hesitant after meeting Bianca would be an understatement.  
Her mother had died fighting demons and now her brother was dating one?! But Chris had always countered, "She's a witch. Not a demon." _

___Eventually, time required Emma to at least to come to an understanding with Bianca. So the two grew to have a mutual respect for another. _

___Alana... she was curious. _

___From what they gathered about her. She was a mortal, Chris's age. She had been working at a shelter, helping those hurt by Wyatt.  
Wyatt destroyed the shelter, captured her and choose her as a mistress. _

___After Chris saved Alana and Matthew from Wyatt in June, the group had befriended her. Still, Emma had her concerns about Alana.  
Alana wanted to go back and rebuild the shelter. Day after day, Emma had to explain that she couldn't. As Wyatt's mistress, she was a  
target. Not only was she a target, she was a pregnant target. (In this world, Wyatt and Alana's children were 1.5 years apart instead of 3)._

___Emma knew Alana just wanted to help, but she couldn't. It wasn't safe... and then one day, Alana disregarded Emma's warnings and ran off.  
She was killed by Wyatt. Later, she came to Emma in a dream, telling her not to worry. She was a whitelighter now. _

___That was the last time she saw Alana. Now... Emma was alone. and sixteen. _

___Loneliness and bitterness made Emma want to yell at Alana, ask her how she could she be so selfish to sacrifice her unborn child's life for whims._

_But then Emma remembered. Alana was just a mortal. She hadn't grown up in the same circumstances as her family. She didn't know any better.  
Wyatt had killed them both. Bianca and Alana. So, Emma was alone. Her nephew in the arms of his homicidal father. _

By the next fall, Emma had saved her nephew from Wyatt. Then her brother had come up with a spell to combine her mind and memories.  
She lived in a new world now. Only hoping the other timeline was no longer in existence.

"Dinner time, Em." Chris said from outside her door.

* * *

Wyatt was sitting up on his bed, he was wearing a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt. He sighed, exhausted.

Alana appeared behind him, sensing his hesitation. She instinctively put her hands on his shoulder, pulling him closer to herself.  
Wyatt allowed himself to be comforted by his wife's arms. He had missed her gentle touch. He exhaled heavily and turned to his wife.

She was shaking slightly, silent tears falling down her face.

"I'm sorry." He said instantly, now pulling her back to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her protectively, "I've missed you so much."

"What about the baby?" She asked, her voice cracking.

'The baby?' Wyatt asked himself. He didn't know the baby yet, but he loved his child, he knew that.

Even though he had been home less than twenty-four hours, he wondered how he could have left home in the first place. He had a wife and a son  
and...

_"Those doctorly instincts are going to be fantastic when your daughter is born." _His sister had remarked, just the day before.

A baby girl. He thought of his niece. He couldn't even stay away from Brianna, he would have never been able to stay away from his own child.

Alana wrestled out his grasp and repositioned herself to a lying position. Wyatt flinched. "I wasn't comfortable." Alana complained tiredly.

Wyatt chuckled in response, repositioning himself. He put his hand above his wife's stomach. He felt compelled to ask for permission, "Can I?"

"Course." Alana murmured, closing her eyes.

"You're not mad?" Wyatt asked absently as her put his hand on Alana's stomach.

"I knew you would come back." She yawned, "I was really lonely though."

"I was lonely too." Wyatt admitted.

"Obviously," Alana murmured, "You left your wife, son, brother, sister, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles... and your niece."

"I was leaving a lot." Wyatt agreed.

"But you didn't leave Brianna, did you?" Alana asked, "You were drawn to her. That's a familial instinct."

"It was an instinct. I couldn't stay away from her. Do you think she had the power of persuasion?" Wyatt asked.

Alana yawned, "Don't you need to be able to speak to do anything with that power?"

"I don't know." Wyatt frowned, closing his eyes and allowing himself to fall asleep.

A short amount of time passed. Two were not entirely sleep, but quickly in the process. Until a nosy intruder arrived.

"Dinner time, guys." Chris said.

Alana and Wyatt ignored him in favor of rest. He rolled his eyes, "Dinner time, guys." He repeated. Putting pressure on both their shoulders.

Alana flinched slightly, causing Wyatt to open his eyes and give his brother the nastiest glare he could.

"Jeez... sorry. I'll let you two sleep." Chris grumbled indignantly.


	43. Lively

Author's Note:

I love everyone for reading this story and for reviewing.

In case you've forgotten, I've got links to pictures of all the Halliwell children in my profile.  
My favorite stories list also has a good selection of Chris stories, if you're looking for one :)

* * *

May 15th, 2028

**Nothing is perfect.**  
I don't think we ever seem to keep a hold of this fact.  
We want everything to magically fall into place. Unfortunately, this isn't how real life works._ In real life, you've got to think things through. _

I'm so tired of people thinking things just happen. Only three things happen on accident: Children, Love, and Car Crashes.  
We all have this notion that things just settle where they should, but that isn't true.

People make mistakes. They make them often and they don't try to fix them.  
When they do, they often make it worse.

If you were addicted to crack, got clean and managed to bail on your dealer,  
then don't give him directions to your house.

Chris rubbed his head, it was four in the afternoon and more than anything, he wanted to take a nap.  
He didn't want to think of this day... the day six years ago when his cousin Rachel had died at Wyatt's malicious hands.

He just wanted to see Rachel so badly. Nothing made sense anymore and it was beginning to infuriate Chris.  
If he really wanted to Rachel so desperately, he could orb over to Aunt Phoebe's right away.

And there she would be, or at least within a ten mile radius.  
Happy and healthy. Loud and OBNOXIOUS.

Chris could only explain it as missing a part of her.

So he did something selfish. He laid out the candles and recited the incantation.  
Twelve year old Rachel and Fourteen year old Jacob appeared.

Rachel's mousy brown hair was pulled into pigtails, an innocence that her older counterpart wouldn't dare to show the world.  
Her t-shirt referenced a vague pop culture fad from years ago, one Chris couldn't remember anymore.

"Chris!" Rachel exclaimed, running over to him. Tears were streaming down her face, "It wasn't your fault. I never got to tell you and  
I wanted to everyday."

Immediately he knew that this was a bad idea. How could he be so selfish?

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you." He apologized to his young cousin.

"But you did!" Rachel broke the hug, "You saved the future. It's beautiful, a little messy, but beautiful." He speckled hazel eyes only affirmed how much truth her statement held.

"You did it, Chris." Jacob smiled, softly, "I hate to admit it, but I didn't think anything would change." Jacob was much taller than Rachel, at least 5'6, she barely reached 5'2.  
His messy brown hair reminded Chris of Carter, which made Chris realize why he was so particularly fond of Paige's children.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Chris shot with irritation. He was trying to hold back his tears, he didn't realize how much he missed them.

"We saw how cool our lives are now." Rachel said with a grin, "I'm not even a little kid anymore. I'm an adult!"

"We're assholes though." Fourteen year old Jacob shot, annoyed. Chris recalled how much Jacob had hated pretension, it was one of the reasons he had so thoroughly hated Wyatt after he turned.  
This version of Jacob was unlikely to forgive Wyatt for killing his two sisters.

Rachel seemed to agree with Jacob's statement, "All we do is act like we're better than everyone else. What is with that?"

"How is that a change for you?" Jacob turned back to his sister, snottily commenting at her complaint.

"I never said I was better than everyone else, just Wyatt." Rachel corrected Jacob with a glare.

"Wyatt. My God... He is so cool!" Jacob seemed to grin from ear-to-ear. Apparently Chris was wrong, maybe Jacob could forgive Wyatt, "I wish I had a brother like him. You're lucky."

Chris chuckled fondly.

"Pruey's still bossy, I see." Rachel went on, there was never any subtly in Rachel's remark. Not then and not now.

_"You would think after spending over a year with three women in their twenties, that you would be better with them." Eighteen year old Rachel had remarked when he had confessed his inner turmoil about Bianca's safety. _

"Couldn't change that if we tried." Chris remarked with a smirk, "Take every bit of insanity from my mother, add in a dash over-protective from my father and there you have it. The worst thing that could of resulted from my parents."

"I'm glad she's okay, though." Rachel admitted. Chris could feel the concern emanating off of the deceased pre-teen, "I worried about her a lot. She doesn't take care of herself. Then again,"  
Rachel put emphasis in the next few words, "Neither did you."

Nope, no subtly whatsoever.

"She won't tell me what happened in the in between, but I'm slowly piecing it together by myself." Chris told Rachel, "She says I wouldn't want to know."

"Derrick Ainsley became the leader of the Resistance." Jacob responded with an intrigued expression.  
Jacob had never particularly liked Wyatt's friends, not before his turning and definitely not after, "Emma was his second in command."

"Wyatt invaded?" Chris asked, not liking the sound of this one bit. He could just imagine his brother invading the resistance, killing off everyone besides Emma and Matthew. He shuddered at the  
bloodshed that would come with a battle like that, hoping his sister had coped with the situation well. He could never really know, Emma didn't tell him anything!

"No, Derrick saved Emma from being captured. He began to realize what he was doing was wrong and switched sides."

"Why would Derrick switch sides?" Chris was suspicious. Derrick was a half-demon and had never hesitated going along with whatever Wyatt planned.  
Though Derrick was less impulsive and more rational, it didn't speak much of Derrick to give his beneficial attributes to Wyatt's side of the war.

"I think he realized what his father would think if he knew." Jacob said, "Derrick's father meant the world to him."

Jacob's limited perspective on Derrick left many holes in his story, but truthfully Chris knew more about Derrick's relationship with his father by traveling to 2003.  
His father had done everything to save him from his demonic side, Chris had seen it with his eyes. When Chris had told the Charmed Ones to kill Derrick as an  
unnamed manticore baby, it wasn't out of malice. His choice had originated from the idiom, 'the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.'

Chris nodded slowly in response to Jacob's explanation. Thinking of how this world's version of Derrick was a doctor, with a son and presumably a wife.  
This version of Derrick seemed innately good and very gentle, his emphasis on unity made Chris like him. After all, he had helped bring Wyatt home.

"You saved so many more lives than we could have possibly imagined." Jacob interrupted Chris's thoughts, "Like our brother Michael, but there was a sacrifice of time.  
For a while, I was beginning to believe that Katie's life was sacrificed for Michael's. Michael, he deserves his life, but if Katie had been taken in his place, it would have hurt too much."

"And you gave Aunt Paige children. Like Michael's friend, Penny." Rachel remarked.

Jacob smirked slightly, making Chris wonder for a moment what he was exactly going to say. He didn't wait long before Jacob uttered the humorous sentence,  
"She walked in on Mikey's first time."

"His first time doing what?" Rachel asked. Though she had seen much in the dark world they had originated from, she apparently had retained some innocence.

Chris laughed. Twelve-year-old Rachel was certainly a charmer.

"Never mind." Jacob decided, he didn't need his sister to be thinking about sex.

"Now that I'm here, I've got some catching up to do." Rachel said with a smirk.

'With who?' Chris thought with a snort, before realizing she was completely serious.

"So, I guess I'll see you guys later." She told them, disappearing with a flash.

"Where did she go?" Chris questioned, returning to former neurotic state. He thought of all the consequences this could have on his family.

"Nowhere good." Jacob offered weakly.

"Well, where would you go?" Chris queried, thinking on his feet.

Jacob sat on the couch, seeming exhausted. Chris noticed his sad expression, "What's wrong?"

"I'd go see Mom." Jacob admitted, "But I don't what state of mind she is in. If she's happy, she'll probably pop in on Emma.  
If she's mad, she'll probably see Wyatt. If she's depressed... she'll probably find Katie. None of these have a good ending in my mind."

"I'm sorry, Jacob." Chris said sympathetically. He rubbed his back, trying to comfort him, "I didn't mean to create this paradox."

"It's okay," Jacob said, tears blinking in his eyes, "My counterpart is really happy. He's going to college. He's got friends. He's got his family. Even if he is an asshole."

"What's your issue with the older version of yourself?" Chris asked, still trying to reassure him that his counterpart was a decent human being in his eyes.

"He's spoiled. Everything is easy for him. That and he doesn't seem to care about anyone else but himself."

"People change in different circumstances, be glad he didn't go what you went through." Chris answered affectionately, "But maybe you should check in on him more often,  
you might get a new perspective."

Chris found himself surprised to have a conversation with someone in his family without the use of sarcasm. It was a wonderful world, but people here were spoiled.  
Most of the time Chris got the feeling that they didn't appreciate each other, not like his cousins and himself had in the past.

* * *

"I've been watching you." The pig-tailed preteen said with a grin as she flashed in.  
Her shirt read: One Child. One Means to an End. 50 years of infanticide. A means to an End. 2018

Carter went to freeze her, but she disappeared, then reappeared.

"I'm not a demon. At least, not by blood." She giggled slightly.

"Who are you?" Carter asked, confused, "What does your shirt mean?"

"Rachel." She said simply, making herself very comfortable, "I don't know exactly what the shirt means, but  
it's about China. They only let people have one baby in China and if I lived in China, I'd be dead."

This only confused Carter more, so he spoke his mind, "...Do I know you from somewhere?" He asked her.

"I'm Rachel Halliwell." She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"What spell did you cast?" He asked dryly.

"I didn't cast a spell," She answered, "Chris brought me here."

"Why?" Carter asked. Who would want another version of Rachel? One was bad enough.

"Because he missed me. We grew up together in the other world." She elaborated.

"Where Wyatt was evil?" Carter guessed.

"That's right!" She stole a piece of candy from his desk. Carter rolled his eyes, that was his Jolly Rancher! He had earned it for knowing the capital of  
New York in History.

"But that would make you dead... and you seem a little to happy about the fact that Wyatt is evil." Carter remarked, eying the empty transparent wrapper.

"Was evil, he's not evil anymore. Chris saved him." Rachel corrected, suckling on the raspberry flavored piece of candy.

"Uh... how old were you when you died?" Carter asked curiously. Chris never shared any intimate details with him.  
Carter accepted that Chris was sensitive about that part of past, but a small part of Carter believed Chris didn't share with him because he didn't think Carter could handle the truth and that was where Chris was wrong.

"Twelve."

"Why come see me?" Carter asked earnestly.

"If I go see my mom, I'll mess everything up. Here, I'm safe." She explained, not caring to add any more details.

"How come?" Carter's curiosity got the best of him.

"Where I come from, you didn't exist." Rachel answered him in straight-forwarded manner.

Carter flinched, it now made sense why Chris never answered his questions about the fate he had faced in the other world.

Carter looked almost disappointed, "Why not?" He asked Rachel, knowing she probably couldn't answer that.

"I don't know." She said honestly.

"Where was my dad?" Carter questioned, "Did my mom never meet him?"

"Uncle Henry was the best." Rachel rejected the notion that his parent's paths hadn't crossed in that world.

"So my parents were together, but they didn't have me..." Carter felt almost rejected, "Why?"

"Trust me, you don't want to experience that place." Rachel said, attempting to comfort him, "The reason I picked you is because you are my favorite."

"Favorite what?" He asked her. She didn't even know him.

"Cousin!" she answered, expecting him to know that.

"But I didn't exist where you came from." He asked her.

"I've been watching you from Heaven. All the time. You're brave. I like it." Rachel smiled, "The way you went after Wyatt when he captured Emma. Or the way you went after your sister and Chris when they were captured."

"But any of us would have done that." Carter replied immediately, "We're family."

"I don't know," Rachel smiled, "I died because I couldn't save my sister, but you save people all the time. It's really cool!"

"If Chris summoned you, where is he?" Carter asked her suspiciously, "He has yet to make an appearance. How do I know you're not lying to me?"

* * *

Wyatt looked up curiously at the two pre-teens as the emerged in orbs, "Hey Carter."

"Hey Wy," Carter said, looking a bit serious, "You know where Chris is?"

"He left earlier, sorry." Wyatt apologized, but stared intently at Rachel, "Have we met before? I'm Wyatt."

"I'm R-"

"You look so much like my cousin Rachel did, but that was ages ago... like my first year of college." Wyatt mused to himself.

Twelve-year-old Rachel gulped nervously, "Call me Ray."

Wyatt now looked up once more, "Spell gone wrong?" He asked the open air.

"Alternative Universe. Dead. Summoned. Runaway." Carter summarized.

"From who?" Wyatt asked curiously.

"Who do you think?" Carter answered dryly.

"He must be a nervous wreck." Wyatt chuckled.

"Yeah," Rachel hesitated, then she looked over at Carter, "I want to talk to Wyatt for a few minutes, then I'll come find you."

"Promise?" Carter demanded. He didn't want Rachel running away and the way she had stroked his ego had made him enjoy her company.

"Promise." Rachel said with a knowing expression. Carter nodded, disappearing in orbs.

"Alternate Universe?" Wyatt asked weakly, "But then I..."

"You are great." Rachel told him, extending her hand to him warmly.

"I killed you... and you're so innocent." Wyatt said shakily. His self-doubt made Rachel uncomfortable.

"No." Rachel frowned, "I gave up." She wondered to herself how Wyatt had felt after killing her.  
Had he felt bad or had he accepted it for what it was?

"Let me show you." She said, closing her eyes and concentrating.

_"How could you, Wyatt?" Rachel had demanded. Her clothing was dirty and her hair was tangled into knots._

_"Ray..." Wyatt had began, "It was-" He had shorter hair, not looking a day over nineteen._

_"You said she was better off with you!" Rachel yelled, "And I believed you!"_

_"She was better off with me." Wyatt answered coldly._

_"You knew she was going to die?" Rachel asked coolly, "How could you do this to me?!"_

_"Cut the theatrics, Ray." Wyatt snapped, "I have no time for this."_

_"You were my favorite cousin, Wyatt." Rachel began to cry, hiding her face from him in shame, "Because you understood how I felt."_

_"Leave, Ray." Wyatt commanded her. Any minute now, demons would appear. Demanding her death for their entertainment. _

_"No!" She screamed angrily, lunging at him, "I hate you!", she continue to hit him, "I hate you! Katie was my little sister and you let her die."_

_"It was two years ago." Wyatt shouted angrily, "Get over it!" _

_"Two years?" Rachel asked faintly, "She's been dead all this time?" She slunk to the floor, now understanding why Wyatt had refused to let her see Katie._

_"It wasn't on purpose." Wyatt managed. He sounded almost regretful. _

_"Kill me too." She whispered._

_"No." He replied, becoming cold once more._

_"Kill me, dammit!" She shouted, hurtling a fireball into his chest with all her power, "Do it!" _

_"Stop!" He yelled at her, grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, "Just stop."_

_"You betrayed her! I've lost enough. We have lost everything! How can I know you didn't kill our Moms? How can I, Wyatt?!" She knew how to provoke him. _

_Wyatt felt himself lose control as he sent an energy ball into Rachel's stomach, "How dare you." He replied with a chilling fury, leaving her there to feel the pain her remark had caused him._

_He knelt down to heal her, realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere by fighting a child. He put his hand over her wound, but no glow emerged. The power was no longer his. _

_"__No...Ray." He put his hand over her wound, pressuring himself even more, but nothing happened, "I didn't-"_

_He sighed as he gave up, "Let's go home." He said softly, hoisting her dead body over his shoulder and orbing away. _

When the memory was over, Wyatt was in tears. Rachel inched towards him, but all he could muster was, "I'm so sorry, Rachel."

"You didn't kill our moms. I knew it, but I didn't want to be in a world like that. I gave up because I was weak, but Chris..." she smiled softly at the last part of the sentence.

"never gives up." Wyatt completed, grateful for such a dedicated brother.

"Never." Rachel agreed, she looked at him seriously, "It kills him that you blame yourself. He didn't want you to blame yourself."

"It's my fault."

"Stop!" she snapped at him, "Just stop! Get a hold of yourself. It was obviously not your fault. I've watched you your entire life and you would never hurt someone if you didn't have to."

"My whole life?" Wyatt asked.

"You save lives, Wyatt. You destroy demons that have the potential to hurt others and you're a doctor. I mean, next thing you know you're going to get a job as a  
firefighter part-time. You can only do so much! So let go of all that baggage."

Wyatt chuckled slightly, "Self-loathing isn't as attractive as most author's make it out to be. How self-centered do you have to be to think about yourself so much that you end up hating yourself?" She continued her rant.

"I can see why he killed you." Wyatt joked.

"A joke? About time!" Rachel shouted, throwing her arms around Wyatt, "Now we can bond about how annoying Pruey is."

"She would kill you if she heard you call her that." Wyatt teased lightly, "She hates being called by her first name."

"Don't you think I know that?" Rachel asked with a smirk.

* * *

Emma sat in a chair, reclining back slightly as she recalled living in the Alternate Future where Wyatt was evil. When the Chris from that universe came to the present universe,  
the present version of Chris was sent to the Alternate future.

_"Chris?" Emma asked, looking confused. Pain flickered in her eyes, obviously the plan had failed.  
There went any chance at changing Wyatt and giving her family a fighting shot. _

_"Emma... where the hell are we?" Chris asked her, he winced, watching as the probes the scanned individuals in the desolate streets. _

_"How old are you?" She felt the need to ask._

_He gave her a strange look, "5 years, 1 month and 20 days older than you." _

_Emma didn't appreciate the humor, sending him a glare._

_"I'm twenty-two... you're still seventeen, aren't you?" He asked her, "What is this?"_

_"What is the last thing you remember?" She ignored him, instead asking her own question. _

_"I was filling out applications for South Bay." Chris said finally, "Then Bianca and I went to bed."_

_"Bianca?" Emma's eyes blinked, confusing clouding her irises. _

_"My wife..." Chris asked, a smirk appearing, "You know Em, you're a little too young for Alzheimer's."_

_Then Emma understood and she looked up, "You can't be here." She said immediately, "It'll screw everything up."_

_"I can't be here?" He asked, offended, "Look at you, you're a mess! You look starved, you have scars covering your entire body, you look like death."_

_She heard a cry and disappeared, reappearing with a crying toddler, "Don't worry, buddy." She comforted the baby, rubbing his blonde hair reassuringly. _

_Chris looked horrified at the state of his nephew, "He's emaciated! My God, what is going on?"_

_"I'm trying!" Emma defended, trying to contain her tears, "I'm not a Mom! I'm not perfect."_

_"Social services will take him away from his parents if they see him like that." Chris tried to explain. He didn't want to panic his sister,  
but she clearly was not the right person to be caring for a toddler. _

_She gave him a cold laugh, "Social services, here? Hardly."_

_"Where is Wyatt and where is Alana?" Chris demanded, "Why are you taking care of their son?"_

_"This has got to be a joke," Emma spat, looking up towards the ceiling, "Alana, well-" she stopped herself and choose her words carefully, "She's in a better place  
and Wyatt... well, he's kind of busy being the ruler of all evil."_

_"Just because you two bicker sometimes, does not mean he's evil, Emma." Chris chastised her slightly, "You always over-exaggerate."_

_Emma held her temper, knowing this was not her brother, this was a different version of him. _

_"So I'm in twelfth grade, my best friend is a girl name Leslie and my specialty is vanquish?" Emma questioned him._

_He nodded._

_"Not me," she corrected, "This an alternate world from your own. Wyatt is the ruler of all evil here, Bianca is dead and-"_

_"Where am I?" Chris interrupted her._

_"Dead?" Emma asked him, then shrugged, "Honestly, I think that he is in the new future. That is why you are here, to ensure balance."_

_"Wyatt's not evil, I'll prove it to you." Chris snapped, orbing away angrily._

_Emma sunk slowly, "I hope so." she whispered._

"Have you seen Rachel?" a voice placed her back into reality.

She looked up, "She's probably at Aunt Phoebe's, if not she'll be with Chad Godfrey or Kaylee Marino."

Chris wanted to ask who Chad Godfrey and Kaylee Marino were, but instead asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"Just thinking." She answered briefly. There wasn't the usual interest in his escapades, she looked too entirely distracted.

"About?"

"Tell you later, go find Rachel." she waved him off, hoping he would forget her melancholy expression by the next time he saw her.

"I'm going to come back." He said firmly, "Something's up with you."

"Yeah, I know." she said, as he orbed away.

_"He's just confused is all." Chris said, reappearing in the small apartment, "This is Grandpa's apartment... where is he?"_

_"With Mom." Emma said solemnly._

_"And where is Mom?" He asked her, confused._

_"She's... gone." Emma whispered, "You know, I'll try to help you back, but I don't have the book."_

_"I don't want to go back." Chris said instinctively, "You need me."_

_"You didn't seem to think that when you left." She whispered._

_"Just what the hell is going on here? Wyatt would never be evil." Chris complained._

_"Where you come from, he's not evil. Annoying, as I hear, but not evil. I'm glad, that means he succeeded." Emma told him._

_"Who's 'he'?" Chris asked._

_"My brother, your counterpart. He's a good person, but something tells me his journey in the past isn't going so well, not if he's dead."_

"Hi!" exclaimed young Rachel.

Emma's heart quickened, "Great! I'm beginning to blend imagination with reality."

"I'm real." Rachel corrected her, "You couldn't imagine someone as talented as me."

"I also couldn't imagine your ego." Emma shot. She chuckled softly at the reference on Rachel's shirt, "I haven't seen that shirt in years...So what spell did you cast? When Chris said he was looking for you, I didn't figure it was because of personal gain. I should have, but..."

"He summoned me." Rachel shot back, "I thought you'd be happy to see me."

"What do you mean he summoned you? You can only summon the dead." Emma asked the young girl.

"That I am."

"Oh My God!" Emma said, latching herself onto Rachel, she looked at her lovingly, "You look just as beautiful as you did before you died..."

"I'm prettier now." Rachel said with a grin, "If I had known I was going to turn out this pretty, I would have fought harder to stay alive."

Emma didn't want to remark what she believed; That Wyatt would have killed her anyways.

"I'm sorry for what he did to you, Ray." Emma whispered, the guilt appearing in her voice.

"Are you going to cry?" Rachel frowned, "Because I'm not into all that emotional stuff that most girls like."

Emma laughed lightly, charmed, "I won't cry then, but only because I missed you."

"You were always the strongest, Pruey." Rachel comforted her, affectionately.

"You are the only one allowed to call me that." Emma said strictly, a half-smile appeared on her face, "But you still must be punished." She paused, then called out to her brother.

"I've been looking for you everywhere." Chris admonished Rachel, "Have you been here the entire time?"

"No," Rachel rolled her eyes, "I went to see Carter, then I went to see Wyatt."

"Wyatt?" Emma and Chris exclaimed together, not liking the idea at all.

"Don't get all pissy." Rachel whined, throwing her hands up in exasperation, "I helped him move on."

"You're telling me that all it took was a twelve-year-old for him to stop hating himself?" Chris seemed incredulous.

"Summon me more often." Rachel offered him, "I'm magical."

"I wouldn't mind keeping her." Emma agreed, "She could be like the little sister I never had."

"Trust me," Chris said dryly, "You're not missing much. Little sisters aren't that great. They're nosy, constantly causing trouble and they think they know how to do anything."

"Besides, who says I wanted to stay?" Rachel said, hopping up, "The afterlife is a lot better. I've got Mom, Dad, the Uncles & Aunts and Katie... and Jacob."

"Good." Chris answered, "Because bringing you here was a bad idea. Jacob is devastated."

Rachel frowned, "I didn't mean to hurt him. Is he really mad?"

"Mad isn't the word I would use." Chris managed, trying to find a better word.

* * *

It's really hard to be who people want you to be; Expectations can make you uneasy and can make it hard for you to be your own person.  
I could be someone for myself, but then I wouldn't fit the cast that everyone has so desperately designed.

I'm getting lonely and I would admit it, but to say that I would have to admit to someone that I'm unhappy.  
Admitting that my life is not perfect would put into question my morals. Morals I've so strongly held onto since Wyatt's change.

I guess it's because I'm insecure. Everyone is insecure. I don't mind being that way, because it makes me human.  
I like to look at people first glance and pass on. I just don't care if you have endless potential locked up inside, to me, it's all about right now.

I want you to prove me wrong and if you can't, then why should I care what you think?

It's been endless and forever continous. I drove myself forward, finally allowing myself to find a place to call home.

* * *

"Carter got his goodbyes. Jacob was allowed some closure and promised me he'd check down on us more often." Chris told Emma, "Okay, what is going on?"

"You can't expect me to share everything with you. First of all, I'm a teenager. Second of all, I like my secrets. And third of all-"

"I know, Em. I have my own secrets, but isn't this what you wanted? Don't you like this world? I'd change the world one hundred times until it made sense to you." Chris promised.

"Can I hold her?" Emma asked suddenly. Chris nodded immediately, gingerly setting his daughter into his sister's welcoming arms, "This world is perfect, Chris. Don't doubt yourself."

"We are one screwed up family." Chris laughed softly, "Normal siblings our age fight."

"Are you insinuating we don't fight?" Emma asked, "Because then maybe it's not the world that is messed up, maybe it's you."

"Uhuh." Chris said dryly, flicking her head, "We just fight over weird shit."

Emma heard thumping coming from upstairs, "Okay, what the hell is going on up there?"

"Something tells me we don't want to know." Chris shuddered.

"Oh ew. Alana is a million months pregnant. That is disgusting, I cannot wait til I'm out of here." Emma complained.

"I still can't believe you're leaving." Chris frowned, "I worked all that time just for you to move away."

"You and Wyatt are so dramatic. I'm not even going to be an hour away. Some people move to other states, even other countries." Emma told him.

"Guess you're right. You're staying pretty close, I don't what it'd be like with you so far away." Chris agreed.

"Well, if Wyatt hadn't been so stubborn when he was choosing his college, we'd both know what it's like to live apart. I mean, really. Turning down UCLA for University of San Francisco? That will never make sense to me."

"He didn't get into UCLA, remember?" Chris reminded her.

"Oh please. Mister Four Point Oh, plus a million extracurriculars? He got in, he just choose to lie about it." Emma told him.

"And you've known this?" Chris asked her.

"I've always known. I guess I was just glad he stuck around. You too." Emma said, cooing at her niece, "You've got your daddy's eyes and hopefully your mother's ambition." She told Brianna.

"I'm really glad this world is like this." Chris admitted to his sister, "I'm glad that Mom and the Aunts are alive and all the cousins, whether they existed before or didn't. But what I love most about this besides  
all of the that is Dad. He loves us so much, Em."

"He's the best," Emma agreed, she had a sort of melancholy happiness, "I feel like a forty year old around him. I should be able to rebel against him, that's what teenagers do, but the thought of hurting him... God, it kills me."

"A far cry from the other world." Chris finished.

"You did something powerful, that's all I can say. You made Leo love us all equal. I wasn't a product of an awkward one-night-stand this time around."

"I was." Chris laughed, though he cringed slightly.

"No one is ever going to live up to their love story. It sucks. so bad."

"But if you think about it, Em. If we ever learn to love someone half as much as they love each other, we'll still be fantastically lucky."


	44. Journey

Author's Note:

I love everyone for reading this story and for reviewing.

In case you've forgotten, I've got links to pictures of all the Halliwell children in my profile.  
My favorite stories list also has a good selection of Chris stories, if you're looking for one :)

* * *

_July 5th, 2028_

"It's a girl." Wyatt whispered, coming out of the delivery room.

Chris shook Emma slightly. She grumbled, but slowly opened her eyes, yawning to herself.

They looked up at him, encouraging him to share information, "So what's her name?" Chris asked his brother with a supportive smile.

"Alexis Rochelle." Wyatt answered, "She's blonder than anyone I've ever seen and she's got these hazel eyes that I've never seen before.  
She didn't get them from her mother and she definitely didn't get them from me." Wyatt's eyes flickered to his sleeping parents, relaxing in the waiting room.

Chris smiled, happy that his niece had survived in this world. Where he came from, he recently had learned, Alana hadn't lived long enough to give birth.

"Emma." Wyatt huffed with a glare. The serene moment had lasted all of sixty seconds.

Chris's eyes flickered with confusion.

"What?" she asked him, not liking the glare on his face one bit.

"Rochelle, is that the worst you could think of?" Wyatt mimicked, offended.

"What gives you the right to read my mind? I'm not allowed to blow you up, so why should you be allowed to intrude on my thoughts?" Emma glowered.

"What is going on?" Chris asked finally, 'Do they even know how frustrating they are?'

"Do you like your middle name?" Emma asked him bluntly.

"Uh-" Chris didn't seem any less frustrated or confused, "It's okay, I guess. Why?"

"Right, that means you hate it." Emma told him, "And Alexis isn't going to like the middle name Rochelle."

"Mind your own business. You always have to instigate things, just leave it alone." Chris admonished her, offended by her nosiness.

"He's the one who read my mind! Am I not allowed to have my own thoughts now?" She demanded in return.

"Cut it out, Annie Activist." Chris shot out, "Okay, this has nothing to do with free will and you know it."

"He reads my mind and I'm the one in trouble? Screw you, Chris!" Emma snapped hotly.

"Well, maybe if you thought nicer things." Chris was about to add more to his statement before being interrupted by an ecstatic Rachel.

"Wyatt! Congrats!" Rachel said with a grin, she was holding onto a gift basket for Alexis, "How is the baby?"

"Hey Rachey," Wyatt answered her, hugging her quickly, "She is beautiful."

"And her name?" Jacob asked, only a few feet behind Rachel.

"Alexis Rochelle." Wyatt said immediately.

"I'm flattered." Rachel beamed, "I'm not even her grandmother." Emma and Jacob gave Rachel a confused look.

Emma rolled her eyes as the significance sunk in, 'You are so weird, Wyatt.' she thought to herself.

* * *

October 1st, 2028.

Wyatt opened his eyes, 'Where the hell am I?' he growled to himself. He turned over, trying to keep his mind in check when he saw Alana lying next to him, peacefully sleeping.

"Honey, stop moving." She grumbled in her sleep, turning away from him.

'Did she just call me honey?' His eyes flickered upwards, noticing a crib set up in the corner of the room, 'Matthew?' he asked himself. He stood up, looking at the room... the room seemed so familiar to him.

He towered over the crib, noticing something immediately, the baby was a girl. The baby seemed to sense his tension, awaking at the thought.

"I told you to be quiet, now you've woken her up." complained Alana tiredly.

"I've got her." Wyatt seemed to say instinctively, confused as to why he'd offer to take care of the baby. He knew nothing about children!

He picked up the baby, looking at her curiously. She had hazel dipped eyes and soft blonde hair. He walked down the stairs, realizing why the room was so familiar. He was in the Manor!  
Why did it look like this? He had turned it into a museum after his family had died; Partly to instill fear in others, but also to help himself remember his family.

He stared at his daughter's face, her hazel eyes hysterical with fear, tears streaming down her face. She seemed more outraged, than afraid, Wyatt thought to himself with amusement. She took no crap from anyone.

'What am I doing here? Is this a dream... Has Prudence cast a spell?' He thought furiously. He didn't like this world, he didn't have the same power as before; Alana hadn't given him a second glance from bed... Before, she had feared him.

And they had a daughter, but where was Matthew. "Daddy, is Lexi crying again?" came a complaint. Wyatt searched for the voice, finally realizing the voice was originating from the ground.

"What did you call her?" Wyatt asked his son, desperate to know the baby's name.

"Lexi?" Matthew asked, looking confused, "Her name is too long!" he complained, "Uh-lex-us!"

'I have two children?' He asked himself, 'How utterly pathetic. I only need one heir, though if her non-stop temper tantrum is any indication, she has surely inherited my personality more so than her brother.'

"Daddy?" Matthew asked him, pulling on Wyatt's shirt, "Can I have cereal?"

"What?" Wyatt asked him absently. Matthew's blonde hair looked like corn, his blue eyes lit with love when looking at his father.

"You and Momma promised you'd still paid attention to me!" Matthew complained, "I knew Lexi was a bad 'dea, all she does is cry!"

"It's not your sister's fault." Wyatt seemed to counter, almost by nature, "I'm just distracted."

"Why?" Matthew asked curiously, "Can I make it better?" He grinned, showing all his teeth.

Wyatt hated how charmed he was by the simple gesture. He sighed, grabbing a box of cereal out the pantry and setting it on the table, "Here." He told Matthew.

Matthew frowned, "I need milk!"

"Right." Wyatt remarked, opening the refrigerator and pulling out the milk. 'Whole Milk? How much fat does someone need in their milk?' He asked himself, then rolled his eyes at the random thought.

He felt a wave of relief when he realized Alexis was no longer crying, "Good," He felt himself smile at her, "Crying isn't a good look on a princess."

"Does that make me a prince?" Matthew asked, now attuned to what his father was saying.

"I suppose." Wyatt commented, though he had called her a princess because he felt she was much more his heir than Matthew. What the hell was going on? What was this?

A young girl faded into the room. Wyatt frowned, "Another one?" he asked himself aloud. Was this Prudence's revenge, To make himself think he had several children?

"Morning Wyatt." The dirty blond haired girl said with a smile, she hugged him, "Can I have breakfast with you?" She asked.

He looked at the four year old curiously, "Uh-"

"You're supposed to ask before you appear." Came a lighthearted response as a teenage boy with golden blonde hair appeared, he laughed, "Sorry Wy, we've been trying to teach her manners, but without Rachel or Jacob around, she's been getting even more spoiled than before."

Wyatt blinked, "Rachel and Jacob?"

"It's weird living without them, you know? Bet it feels like that with Emma and you." He continued on.

"Can I stay for breakfast?" the dirty blonde girl asked the teenage boy.

"You'll have to ask Wyatt politely, Katie." the boy responded.

"Mikey says it's okay, so can I?" Katie asked him, pleading with a grin.

"Sure." Wyatt answered, blinking. 'Katie? But she'd be dead by now... long gone. And if not, she'd be at least eleven or so.'

"Thanks Wy." the teenage boy grinned, "Hey, is Aunt Piper up yet?"

'Mom?' Wyatt's heart began to beat heavily.

"I am indeed." Piper said with a yawn, "Good morning Michael, how are you on the this lovely autumn morning?"

"Good," Michael told her, giving Wyatt a curious glance, "Mom wanted to know if you were still having lunch with her and Aunt Paige today?"

"Tell her I'll be there." Piper grinned slightly.

Wyatt's heart was beating at an unhealthy pace, he could barely hold onto the baby in his arms. He felt the need cry and at the same time, the greatest desire to ask questions,  
'What the hell is going on?' he asked himself, 'And Michael? Aunt Phoebe's stillborn baby?'

It took only a moment for Chris to orb into the kitchen, "Morning Mom, Wy, Mikey."

"Morning." Piper and Michael responded.

"Bri is so big!" Katie giggled, looking fondly at the baby in Chris's arms.

"Well, she's a week away from her half birthday." Chris told Katie with a grin, he pet her hair affectionately for a moment.

"What's with you?" Chris asked Wyatt. Wyatt avoided looking directly at Chris, instead opting for another option.

"Nothing, I'm going to get dressed. I'll see you later." Wyatt took Alexis back up to her crib, setting her down with excess care.

He stared at her sleeping form, "I don't deserve you."

Wyatt changed into some clothes and put on a pair of shoes. A minute later, when Alana came out of the bathroom, she remarked, "Morning Sweetie, are you going to work?"

He felt himself involuntarily jump at her voice, he turned around. She was older than he remembered and was dressed professionally, instead of as teenager when he had first taken her hostage.

"I lost my work schedule." He fibbed, knowing the lie had come out terribly.

"Don't worry," she said easily, and rummaged through her purse until pulling out a day planner, "You don't work until this afternoon, so enjoy your time off. Maybe take the kids to the park?"

He nodded slowly, trying not to say anything that would give him away.

"I've got work, is Chris ready yet?" Alana asked, stuffing a few things into her purse.

Wyatt dazed out for a moment.

"Honey?" She repeated.

"Uh, no. He didn't look ready and he was holding the baby." Wyatt replied, hoping he hadn't gotten any of the information wrong.

Alana seemed to roll her eyes. She looked over the crib, kissing Alexis, then walking over to him. She rubbed his head and gave him a quick peck.

It was then that Wyatt began to feel something unnatural to him; Guilt.

* * *

This was Golden Gate Park. For the most part, Wyatt had avoided the park because all of the unpleasant memories that occurred each time he had been there.

His mother... she was alive. No matter how far Wyatt had gone in life, his mother had been of the most important people in his life. He felt discomfort knowing how much she would  
hate if she knew who he really was.

What had Chris done to bring upon this change? He hadn't been evil, after all, evil was a philosophical term. There were no tangible concepts of good and evil.

But that child, with the hazel eyes and soft blonde hair. She had to be good, he could feel it.

"Good place to think?" Chris's voice echoed behind Wyatt.

"Something like that." Wyatt couldn't hide the bitterness in his voice. Chris had escaped to a place where his mother survived and hadn't bothered to take him along.

"How did you get here?" Chris questioned him, a mysterious curiosity lingering in his voice.

"I orbed." Wyatt told him simply, choosing to focus instead on the falling autumn leaves.

"That isn't what I meant. How did you get here, Wyatt?" Chris's voice seemed on edge, "Because we surely didn't bring you here."

Wyatt sighed, "He cast a spell."

"That's a lie," Chris shot back angrily, "He hates you, he would never bring you here. You better get your story straight before I get everyone to vanquish you."

"How did you know it was me?" was all Wyatt could ask, not all amused at his brother's impatience.

"The way you feel around, Mom. A feeling like that could only come from place; Loss." Chris told him, "Which is another reason why won't be staying. Keeping you good, saved Mom from death."

Wyatt rolled his eyes, infuriated, "You really think I could kill Mom, Chris?"

"I didn't think you could kill Katie, Rachel or Jacob, but guess what happened?" Chris told him coolly, "By saving you from evil, we saved more lives than you can imagine."

Wyatt flinch involuntarily, "I was never evil."

"Yeah and never bright. Which is why we're going to send you back." Chris's retort came.

"Who?" Wyatt asked finally, "Who did you save?"

"Mom, Aunt Phoebe, Aunt Paige, Rachel, Jacob, Katie, Alana, Bianca, Alexis." His ramble seemed to make him shake with fury, "And without your terrorizing, life was created."

Wyatt seemed almost interested, "You have a baby." he told his brother, confusion clouded his eyes as he tried to wrap his head around the fact that his twenty-one year old brother had a baby.  
But Chris wasn't twenty-one anymore, he was twenty-three and closing in on twenty-four.

His brother had always been set on justice for all, never realizing that it isn't possible to save everyone. If it were possible to save everyone, conflict wouldn't exist.

"Yeah and because we saved you, her mother, my wife survived." Chris remarked acerbically, "There is so much you don't even know. Definitely not anything I can handle, I can't even look at you!"

Wyatt was not particularly fond of his brother's comments to him, "Fine then, send me back. If I'm not welcome, what's the point?"

Chris looked at Wyatt with disgust, "Are you trying to make me feel guilty?!" He looked at him with disbelief.

"Alana... what is she?" Wyatt asked, moving quickly, "What is our story?"

"Your story is that you captured her at nineteen and raped her until she became pregnant, not only once but twice." Chris spat maliciously, "Their story is purer and I don't think it's one you deserve to hear."

"Chris." Wyatt growled angrily.

"She's my best friend," Chris said, glaring directly at Wyatt, "Has been for almost twenty years. My brother began dating her in high school and even though he was cruel to her initially, he learned from his mistakes; Something you will never do."

"So she's my girlfriend?" Wyatt questioned, not in the least intimidated by Chris's anger.

"She's not anything to you but a rape victim," Chris snapped back protectively, "But to my brother, Alana is his wife. He loves her just as much as he loves the rest of his family."

Wyatt accepted the answer, looking forward towards the happy children frolicking on the swings and play sets. He felt himself look down when pressure seemed to hit his lower body, "What the-?" He grumbled angrily.

In his lap laid the hazel-eyed baby, she leaned against him and Wyatt's best guess was that she was around three months old. She weighed about double of a newborn child, but was still quite small. Wyatt found himself quite  
content to hold the baby that obviously desired its father's attention. He whispered softly, "You should be sleeping, Alexis." The chastising remark went unnoticed by the smiling baby.

"You can't stay here." Chris repeated to him impatiently, "Come on, let's get you home."

"You honestly think I'd hurt a baby, Christopher?" Wyatt drawled.

"I don't think, I know-" Chris snapped back, "If you have a fuzzy memory, I'd be happy to recall just how I met Alana."

"Matthew was fine afterwards, no?" Wyatt asked him, not seeming to care.

"Fine?" Chris asked, a furious glint, "No Wyatt, he was not fine! He was terrified!"

"But he weighed a healthy weight, had adequate vitamins in his diet and had no marks for you to speak of." Wyatt seemed to counter with ease.

"Yeah, but-" Chris interrupted.

"But nothing, you couldn't find a mark on that child if you had tried." Wyatt finished for him, "So stop acting liking you know so much, when it's clear you do not."

"You were about to kill them both. In fact, you did!" Chris snarled unsympathetically, "You never got to know Alexis because you killed Alana before she gave birth!"

"An obvious mistake." Wyatt admitted, looking at the baby with a certain fondness.

"You can't stay." Chris said again.

"What is it that I am doing to poor Alexis that has got you so wrapped up in your anger that you can't even see that she's fine, happy even." Wyatt said with a smirk, enjoying his brother's anger.

"Loving her!" Chris finally conceded, "You can't fall in love with this baby, Wyatt. She isn't yours. Never was and never will be. You sealed your own fate."

"And who are you to know how I feel?" Wyatt didn't seem to lose his cool.

"Your brother, for one. An empath as well. So I know damn well how you feel." Chris told him with a grimace, "I might not want you here, but I'm not cruel enough to send you to a world without the one you love, right now that is Alexis."

"But you already are sending me to a world without my loved ones. I have no one, Chris." Wyatt seemed almost wise, but no less irritating, "Mom is alive here. I never thought it would be that hard to see her again, but it was."

"You did this to yourself, Wyatt." Chris responded finally, "I didn't do it for you."

* * *

"You know," Chris remarked with great bravery, "You aren't much of an original, Wyatt."

Wyatt rolled his eyes, "And that is supposed to mean?"

"Well most serial killers are men aged 20 to 30, that come from middle class backgrounds." Chris explained as he sifted through the Book of Shadows, he didn't expect to find anything in particular that would help.

"Where did you hear that?" Wyatt carried on the conversation.

"College." Chris remarked with an almost sad smile.

"You went to college?" Wyatt asked him, "And studied what?"

"Well, I didn't go to college. He did... He studied social work." Chris mumbled, ready for the many cruel thoughts would have about his choice career.

"Figures." Wyatt responded.

Chris stopped for a moment, "You don't seem surprised."

"You have a hero complex." Wyatt said with a deadpan.

"No," Chris rolled his eyes at the unfounded comment, "People with Hero Syndrome intentionally put other people in danger to save them. I wouldn't do that."

"You're obsessed with saving others, Chris." Wyatt said with a sigh, "Not that it's particularly healthy, but there you go."

"I really think you should put Alexis back in her crib." Chris told his brother, "She won't be there when you get back and it isn't healthy to get attached."

"So now college has made you wiser than me?" Wyatt asked him with a smirk.

"Please," Chris rolled his eyes, "I could never outdo the golden child, not with that sparkling medical degree." He muttered jealously.

"I'm a doctor?" Wyatt asked and for a moment Chris swore he saw a smile, an honest and genuine smile.

"You aren't anything, Wyatt. He is. It's his degree and his hard work. Instead of killing, like you, he saves lives." Chris's resentment was apparent.

"What about Dad?" Wyatt asked finally, remembering how his father was honestly the only person he had left in his world. He had no idea where Matthew was, but he was sure that wherever Matthew was, his former best friend Derrick was not far behind.

"What about Dad?" Chris still seemed impatience.

"Wasn't around in this world either?" Wyatt asked with a knowing expression.

"No, he was." Chris said shortly, "He really reconciled and did a good job with all of us."

"And when Prudence disappeared, she came here?" Wyatt went on.

"You aren't going to hurt her, Wyatt." Chris seemed to threaten.

"Not at all, I just haven't seen her around."

"She's in college, doesn't live here anymore." Chris told him, finally closing the Book of Shadows without luck.

"Never figured her the first to move out." Wyatt told him honestly.

Chris averted his eyes, "Me neither."

He grabbed a notebook, sighing tiredly, "Put her back in her crib now."

Wyatt didn't seem to react, merely waving his hand. Alexis disappeared in orbs. Chris's instinct was to lecture Wyatt on how bad of an idea that had been, but didn't have the heart when he realized how much this was hurting Wyatt.

In the past few years, Chris had always thought of his brother as heartless, but now he wasn't so sure.

"One body and two souls, Each serve a different role. One tendency to make hearts tremble, take their minds and disassemble." Chris read aloud.

"That's a lousy spell." Wyatt said with a snort, awaiting a time where he would look like himself once again, but that didn't happen.

Instead, a little girl and teenager boy appeared in place of the spell.

"Piper, what did you do?" the teenage boy snapped at the younger girl.

"Me?!" the young girl demanded, "I didn't do anything, what did you do, Drew?"

"Who are these people?" Wyatt asked impatiently.

"No idea." Chris groaned, shaking his head incredulously.


	45. Change

Author's Note:

I love everyone for reading this story and for reviewing.

In case you've forgotten, I've got links to pictures of all the Halliwell children in my profile.  
My favorite stories list also has a good selection of Chris stories, if you're looking for one :)

* * *

_October 1st, 2028_

"Piper, where are we?" the teenage boy asked her, looking unsure. Apparently fashion hadn't changed in the future, because the boy was  
wearing clothes Chris remembered himself wearing as a teen.

"Uh" she hesitated, looking up at Wyatt and Chris. Chris could feel the girl's personal wounds reopening and it made him feel for her.

"You look really familiar." Chris remarked a moment later, "We've met somewhere..."

She hesitated as she walked up to Chris and held out her palms. He gave her a distrustful expression, but gave her his hands.  
She closed her eyes, focusing on him. Chris shook for a moment before blinking. She looked at him with curiosity.

"Ainsley." Chris whispered to himself, "You're here again. I'm sorry I forgot you."

"So you know who she is now?" Wyatt asked Chris with arched brows. 'What the hell is going on?' Wyatt asked himself, 'Is this his kid? Is it mine? When did I decide this wasn't some twisted spell Prudence cast on me?'

"She's my granddaughter." Chris replied, as if should be apparent. In Wyatt's opinion, to call the little girl Chris's granddaughter was a stretch;  
She had dark brown hair, bright brown eyes and cute little dimples. She didn't look like Chris, she looked much more like Bianca, with her tiny nose.

"You have a granddaughter?" Wyatt asked with his mouth open, "You're twenty-three! What were-"

Chris heaved a heavy sigh, "Not yet, Wyatt. Really? You think I'd have an eight year old granddaughter at twenty-three?"

"So what spell did you cast?" The teenager asked with a grin. Wyatt knew right away that the teenage boy had to be a Halliwell;  
With that lean build, green eyes and near black hair, _he just screamed, "I'M RELATED TO CHRIS HALLIWELL."_

Chris grumbled irritatedly as he handed his notepad to the teenage boy. The boy read over the lines and lost control as he nearly double over in laughter, "If I had turned this in as an assignment, I would have failed."

Ainsley huffed indignantly, pushing at him impatiently, "You're mean, Drew."

Drew gave her a cocky grin, "I am being nice, because honestly with how many lectures I've gotten..."

"Don't think I've met you before." Chris interrupted the travelers' bickering.

"Drew," The boy extended his hand out, "Nice to meet you." At least he was formal enough.

"Yeah, you too-" Chris said, suspiciously eying Drew, "So who is he to you?" He asked Ainsley immediately.

Chris was quick, Drew had to admit.

"I can't tell you that." Ainsley remarked defensively, "You should know that."

"Piper, I swear," Drew laughed, petting her hair affectionately, "I don't care how much you look like Mom, you will always act like him." He pointed to Chris.

"Nice slip." Wyatt snorted. Obviously the boy hadn't inherited Chris's tact, that had skipped a generation and had landed in the little girl. 'His granddaughter', Wyatt thought with a shudder.

"I didn't just do that." Drew asked dismayed, he looked at Ainsley, begging for help, "Why me?"

"So you're mine?" Chris asked unsurely, "Because I know I've heard your name somewhere before."

"Of course you have," Drew retorted rudely, "I'm named after your father."

"I thought you said your name was Drew?" Chris seemed lost now.

"Leo Andrew Halliwell." Drew filled him in, "But I prefer Drew, as you can see."

Wyatt seemed to be taking in the scene with amusement, "Wait a minute, so your names are Piper and Leo?" He laughed, deep pleasure at the irony. Chris's twisted obsession with their parents would never really end, would it?

Chris rolled his eyes, "That can wait, first we need to get you home, Wyatt."

"What does he mean by that?" Drew asked Ainsley, "Isn't this his home?"

"Grandpa, where is Uncle Wyatt going?" Ainsley asked him, concern apparent.

"He doesn't belong here. He's from another world." Chris said simply, not wanting to detail anymore to the young girl.

Ainsley pulled on Drew's shirt and he lowered himself as she whispered something in his ear. He nodded, understandingly, "I know that, but they don't know that." He shrugged in response.

"Know what?" Wyatt asked shortly. He didn't like secrets; In fact, many had died at his hands for such a habit as keeping secrets.

Drew bit his lower lip, seeming to hesitate. He looked up at ceiling, "Why send me?" He grumbled.

"Who is he talking to?" Wyatt asked Chris.

"The Elders? Carter does it sometimes, maybe it's a sign of immaturity." Chris offered. Wyatt didn't even begin to ask who this 'Carter' was.

"This spell," Drew lifted up the notepad with frustration, "Worked, but not in the way you needed. I am here as a messenger." he pointed to himself.

"From who?" Chris responded impatiently.

"This is going to make me extremely squeamish, you've gotta give me a minute." Drew told them. He sighed heavily, "One body and two souls, each serve a different role... Well, let's put it this way,  
the spell chose to interpret that as sexual...practice. One tendency to make hearts tremble; historically women, powerful women... like your mother." Drew cringed at this part, "Take their minds and disassemble,  
which in essence would take the products of their practice, ie-you, and to break them apart. Unfortunately, Piper and I, are named after your parents so the spell brought future products of your parents to you."

"I didn't write the spell about my parents having sex!" Chris managed, flushing, "It was supposed to send him back to his world."

"Oh yeah," Drew commented exhaustively, "He's not going back."

"But he has to go back!" Chris pleaded desperately.

"Where we come from, Evil Wyatt never goes back. Like you and Aunt Emma, he assembles with his current counterpart. Don't worry, it's not like he's dangerous." Drew shrugged.

"Shows how much you know." Chris muttered angrily.

"Yeah, he killed a bunch of people, but in this world he wouldn't dare. Really, him being here is more of a punishment than you know." Drew's determined retort came, "He has to live with what he has done now. He now knows that his actions are responsible for the absence of all the things he will come to appreciate."

"He won't realize anything," Chris countered, "You have to have a heart to feel remorse. He can't feel love and therefor cannot understand what damage he has done."

Drew's eyes averted to Ainsley, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"What's wrong with the little girl?" Wyatt asked Drew impatiently.

"Piper used to be part demon. Demons don't feel remorse or guilt, but now that she is entirely whitelighter and witch, insensitive, somewhat broad remarks can hurt her feelings." Drew answered, seeming peeved at what Chris had said.

"I didn't mean you, Ainsley." Chris managed to apologize, "I meant him." He spat hatefully at Wyatt.

"I never go home?" Wyatt demanded of Drew, "So I'm stuck in this sappy world?"

"Like I said, it's more of a punishment than a reward." Drew said with a smirk, "It's what you get for being a sociopath."

Wyatt looked at him threateningly, "Watch what you say, kid."

Chris stood in front of Drew protectively, "What's wrong, Wyatt?" Chris seemed to mock, "Can't handle the fact that everyone knows what kind of person you are?"

Wyatt noticed a mark on Ainsley's wrist... in fact he noticed two marks, "What did you say the little girl's name is?" He asked Chris.

Chris frowned, "What?"

"The little girl, what is her name?" Wyatt repeated, looking at Chris as if he was stupid.

"Her name is Piper, but I call her Ainsley."

Wyatt seemed to smirk, "I knew I was right." He told Ainsley with a knowing expression.

"About what?" Chris asked insecurely.

"She's part manticore, related to Derrick somehow." Wyatt announced, "There are two important symbols on her right wrist. The first is a Phoenix mark, obviously her inheritance from Bianca. The other is the mark of a manticore demon."

"Are you a manticore?" Chris asked Ainsley, feeling betrayed when he remembered all the death's caused by Wyatt's right-hand man, Derrick.

She nodded slowly, "But I'm not anymore, the mark is my birthright."

Chris accepted the answer, "Not all manticores are related, Wyatt."

Wyatt rolled his eyes at Chris's imperviousness to the obvious, "No, you moron, she's related to Derrick because of her name. Ainsley, that's Derrick's last name."

_"Derrick Ainsley became the leader of the Resistance." Jacob had told Chris, after being summoned with Rachel._

"Dylan Tyler Ainsley is your father, right?" Chris asked Ainsley, finally understanding. He remembered Derrick mentioning his son when he had been looking for Wyatt in the hospital long ago.

"I'm not evil." Ainsley promised, worriedly.

"Oh I know." Chris told her gently, "I'm just trying to piece together how my daughter ended up with a demon."

"Part demon, part witch." Drew corrected his father, "Grace Ainsley, Dylan's mom, is a witch. He's a really good guy though, he's a hell of a lot nicer than Brianna."

"Drew." Chris warned him.

"She is psychotic! Throws these little temper tantrums even though she's thirty and has three kids. And God forbid someone challenges her thoughts..." Drew grumbled indignantly.

"Sounds like Mom." Chris said to himself and Wyatt felt a smirk twinge at his lips, "Still, we need to get Wyatt back."

"Are you not listening to me?" Drew demanded, frustrated, "He's not going to go anywhere. Fate has placed him here as a punishment."

"Too bad Wyatt doesn't believe in fate." Chris said smugly.

Drew sighed, "You know, you used to be my hero. You, not my Dad, but you. You know why? Because you saved the future and created this world, but I'm beginning to think of you as a spoiled six year old. You can't control everything."

Chris found himself wounded at the comment, "I'm trying to protect my family."

"I am from thirty years in the future, trust me. He isn't going to do anything." Drew tried to reassure Chris, "If I thought he was going to hurt anyone, I would take him on myself."

Wyatt and Chris both laughed sardonically, thinking the same thing to themselves, that this teenage boy couldn't do anything.

Drew gave them a dark expression. Chris blinked curiously, "I think he's serious." He told Wyatt.

"How old are you, kid?" Wyatt asked him, "Because I'm twenty-five and you don't look a day over sixteen."

"I'm eighteen." Drew replied nastily, biting his lip involuntarily to repress an expletive, "Thank God your attitude gets better in the future, otherwise I'd support sending you back to your own personal hell too."

"He's surely inherited your optimistic outlook." Wyatt told Chris with a warning expression at Drew.

* * *

Rachel walked across the lawn of the Creative Arts building, headed towards the library. Rachel wasn't especially fond of studying, but figured it'd be smarter to study now than to worry about it all Sunday instead.

"Rach! Wait up!" A voice from behind her called.

Rachel stopped, turning around. She put her hand over her eyes to protect them from the sun's glare, "So I didn't imagine it?" she asked Jacob.

He exhaled heavily, panting, "Imagine what?" He asked distractedly.

"You inviting me to lunch." She teased him with a smile.

"Sorry, I had to stay after class and ask my professor some questions. Sometimes, I swear he has no idea what he's teaching us." Jacob complained, "I'm done for the day now though, do you want to go get lunch?"

Rachel nodded, "Anything is better than studying. Where were you thinking?"

"Well, I don't have a ton of money. I was thinking we could raid Aunt Piper's fridge." Jacob grinned as he imagined all the goodies awaiting them at the manor.

"Why not go home?" Rachel questioned, arching her brows, "See how Mikey and Katie are?"

"Do you really want to tell Mom that you ditched studying to raid her fridge? She'll be pretty pissed." Jacob told him, "Besides, Mom can't cook."

Rachel cringed, "No, she definitely cannot."

* * *

Wyatt fed Matthew the appropriate lunch of macaroni. As the toddler ate his meal, Wyatt held onto Alexis securely.

Chris rolled his eyes, "You're holding onto her like a security blanket."

Wyatt sat silently for a moment then looked up, "She just makes me feel better. I wonder if that's her power?"

"Or," Chris began with a sarcastic expression, "Maybe, there's a part of you that regrets killing her before she was born."

"So, this is a second chance." Wyatt told his brother, "I'm grateful for it."

"Daddy, my head hurts." Matthew complained, his cheeks flushed red. Wyatt turned to his son, resting a palm on his forehead.

"You're warm." Wyatt told his son, confused as to why he cared so much. Wyatt rubbed Matthew's forehead comfortingly, "I think you'll be okay."  
He told him gently, Wyatt felt himself become flustered when he found a golden glow emanate from his hand.

"Thank you, Daddy." Matthew mumbled automatically. He seemed still a bit a weak and Wyatt instinctively kissed his forehead, grateful that Matthew was healed.

"So I get that you're in my brother's body... but where is he?" Chris asked his brother, biting into a piece of bread.

"In the back of my head." Wyatt complained, trying to rid himself of a persisting headache, "He just sits by idly, telling me how much of a monster I am."

"You disagree?" Chris asked with a snort, "Because you know he's right."

"It's not like I chose to come here, he brought me here." Wyatt shot back coolly, "He wanted to know why I did it."

"Did what?" Chris asked as he opened the refrigerator, "There are just so many things that you have done, Wyatt."

"Beats me." Wyatt countered, "But whatever he was expecting, it wasn't this."

"You know what's been bugging me?" Chris told Wyatt, "Before Ainsley and Drew left, she said that you weren't evil. I don't think that meant she agreed with you,  
I think she meant that you will change. I'm just wondering if that's possible. I mean, even if you stop right now and make penance, you'll always have all those deaths over your head."

"You really think I'm evil, Chris?" Wyatt asked him finally, cleaning up Alexis's mess.

"Wyatt... How can you really look at what you've done and not see yourself as evil?" Chris asked him earnestly, "Wy, you were my best friend my entire life. You protected me and listened to me when Dad  
wasn't around, but you really took a wrong turn." Chris scratched his head, "And it's not your fault, I know that now. After we prevented Gideon from getting to you, you became the good person I knew you would be."

Wyatt sighed, pausing for a moment, "Sometimes I feel bad, even without my counterpart yelling obscenities at me."

Chris gave his brother a sad smile, "It's called guilt. It's a good thing, it means the world is changing you."

Wyatt washed Matthew's dish quickly and set it to dry. He picked up Alexis out of her high-chair and called to Matthew, "Hey, are you tired?"

Matthew nodded hazily and Wyatt edged him out of his chair, "Can you carry me like you carry Lexi?" Matthew pleaded.

Wyatt was about to reject the notion, out of fear that he would drop the baby. He then realized to truly live in this world, he would need to treat his children like equals. He had two children now and he had to care  
for them both or they would both grow to dislike him.

"I'll be back in a minute." Wyatt told Chris, holding onto his children securely.

Chris tried to fight to affectionate smile at the sight of his brother with the two children. He was changing, Chris knew, but it was going to be a tough adjustment.

* * *

"This lasagna looks really good." Rachel commented, eying a large container of lasagna in the refrigerator. To be perfectly honest, anything was better than college food.

"The meat in the lasagna looks real!" Jacob agreed ecstatically, "Instead of the mystery meat they feed us at school."

"Your food as bad as the food at mine?" Rachel asked him, fishing around the refrigerator for something to drink.

"One company handles the entire dining experience. Most of the time, I retreat to Starbucks and drink some sort of coffee drink." Jacob responded, he pulled out some parmesan cheese.

"You sound like Emma. The other day she told me that she spends more time drinking smoothies and hot chocolate than actually eating." Rachel stifled her laughter at the thought of Emma not eating, "She really likes the pastries though."

"They charge too much for food that isn't worth it," Jacob explained, pulling out two glasses from the cupboard, "I could make pasta everyday, averaging $2 a day. Instead, I'm stuck with a meal plan that costs so much more than that."

"It's probably for good reason that you aren't aloud to cook, Jake." Rachel teased, "You and Mom are a disaster waiting to happen when it comes to cooking."

"Like you're so much better!" Jacob shot back, adding ice to their cups, "Who has burnt more cookies than anyone else combined?"

"Practice makes perfect." Rachel counted.

"Then what's your excuse?" Jacob laughed, then looked at her with a smile, "I missed you, Rach."

"Oh? So that's why you're being so nice to me." She responded back affectionately, finally admitting, "I missed you too, Jake."

Rachel held onto the heavy pan full of lasagna. Wyatt and Chris appeared moments later. Wyatt stared at her with wide eyes, "Rachel..." He whispered in awe.

"Uh, Jake? Why is Wyatt looking at me like I've eaten a baby instead of just some of his lunch?" Rachel asked nervously, not liking the grim look on Chris's face at all.

"Sorry," Wyatt finally managed to whisper out, "I was just a little shocked."

"I can see how you would forget us." Jacob said lightly, opening the microwave to heat the food.

"We haven't been around," Rachel nodded in agreement, "Which is why we came to visit!" She finished brightly.

"Really?" Chris asked with a dry expression, "Because I was under the impression that you came here to steal our food."

Rachel rolled her eyes, sending Jacob a telepathic communication,_ 'Something isn't right here. Wyatt's thoughts aren't making sense. He's acting as if he's done something wrong.'_

* * *

"So what exactly am I doing here?" Penny asked Chris, after being bribed by some lasagna.

"Wyatt's having a lapse in memory. I need you to see what he's been missing and to fill him in. Like you did with me when I first crossed over." Chris told her.

"Why don't you just ask him?" Penny complained, "I'm not the personal gain fairy."

Chris glared at her, "I liked you better when you were fourteen. You were less moody then."

"Yeah," Penny muttered to herself impatiently, "Because you were less of an ass then."

Chris sighed, "Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way. I just really need this favor. You know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't necessary."

Penny slumped even lower in her seat, "Fine, bring him over."

Chris smiled appreciatively, "Thank You." He disappeared in a shower of orbs and reappeared with Wyatt.

Wyatt stared at Penny intently. He had no idea who she was and what was going on. He wanted to ask her who she was, but natural reactions filled in him in. 'Who else could produce a child with such red hair?' He asked himself.

"So, you know the deal. You give me your hands, I have my premonition and I fill you in." Penny told him. Wyatt stepped forward, taking her hands.

Penny was absorbed into the various events in the days leading to the present, when she came out of the vision. She looked at him with horror, "You're a murderer!" She seemed to scream immediately,  
"How dare Chris ask me to be near you. You could kill me!" Penny rambled to herself, before disappearing in orbs.

Wyatt sighed, "Will things ever change?"


	46. Hello

Author's Note:

I love everyone for reading this story and for reviewing.

In case you've forgotten, I've got links to pictures of all the Halliwell children in my profile.  
My favorite stories list also has a good selection of Chris stories, if you're looking for one :)

* * *

How do I save you from a fate so sweet  
As being torn to pieces by a loving hand?  
How do I save you from a voice so soft  
As that which acquiesces to your each demand  
How do I look upon the eyes I love  
And send them down this path, I know it isn't right?  
_How do I make you realize my love_  
_That there is more to fear than strangers in the night?_

- Emilie Autumn

* * *

_October 2nd, 2028_

Emma stared out of her dorm window. What a peculiar sight, it was snowing in October... Undecided of whether the snow was an act of God or an act of magic, she choose to orb home; Anything to get away from Amelia,  
her nosy and judgmental roommate. Even so, it wasn't just her irritating roommate, it was the political science assignment she had due tomorrow morning. Sometimes she wondered why she took classes she knew she wouldn't like.

When she arrived in the manor, the only thing she could mutter was, "Oh, so it's snowing here too." Instead of running into the snow, like most of the children in the neighborhood, she watched curiously from behind a curtain.

"Who's there?" Wyatt called from the kitchen. Emma followed his voice, smiling slightly. If Wyatt was home, then Matthew was home and she missed her nephew more than anyone else.

"P-" Wyatt began, but corrected himself, "Emma, what are you doing here?" He asked her, knowing how much she hated being called Prudence. He took in her outfit, a neutral colored camisole and a pair of torn jeans that  
probably weren't in fashion at the moment. It was just in his sister's nature to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted.

"It's snowing, I came to investigate." She said with a childish grin. There it was, that innocent grin, he remembered it vividly from his childhood.

"When you were eight, you wanted to be a detective." Wyatt offered, hating himself for throwing away healthy relationships with his siblings just to feel secure. Even if they were in danger,  
at least they would have been in danger together.

Emma's childish grin evaporated, once she heard that comment. She whispered, fearfully, "How did you get here?" She seemed wounded at the sight of her homicidal brother in the body of her good brother.

"He cast a spell to understand me." Wyatt admitted, sighing. How could he have made such a critical mistake? It wouldn't take Emma long to become angry.

"Does he understand you?" Emma demanded. There it was, the anger. She pulled on her long braid, a nervous habit of hers that only came along when she was trying to avoid eye contact, "Because I never understood you."

"I'm staying here." Wyatt told her, though it came out as more of an apology and plea for forgiveness, "I wanted to go back, to leave you alone, but this is my punishment."

"Dear Elders," Emma began furiously, "Please punish me by writing me a check for one million dollars. Love, P. Emily Halliwell."

Wyatt didn't know whether to be offended at her remark or to be amused. He had always found her sarcasm irritating, because it often hid what she truly felt.  
It was an unhealthy habit that both her and Chris shared and one Wyatt did not approve of.

"Daddy?" a sleepy Matthew asked from behind the kitchen door.

"Hey buddy." Wyatt greeted him affectionately, picking him up gingerly, "Did I wake you?" He hated to admit how attached he had gotten to the little tyke.

"Nightmare." Matthew complained simply, "that you left me and mommy and Lexi forever."

"Your daddy would never do that." Emma promised her nephew with a warning glance at Wyatt, "He loves you too much."

"Promise?" Matthew asked his father unsure. Even if Matthew trusted his Aunt with all the faith he had, he always needed a promise from his father, because no matter what, his father never broke a promise.

Wyatt whispered to his, "If you went missing I would search the universe endlessly until I found you."

Emma glared at Wyatt in response. Obviously, this was a reference to her safekeeping of Matthew after Alana's death. In this case, Matthew wasn't missing. He was being protected.

"So you're looking for the source of snow? I wouldn't mind helping." Wyatt offered, trying to change the subject, "We can use deductive reasoning!"

It was almost an old throwback to their childhood, when Chris and Wyatt would set up old mystery cases for Emma to solve. They were both sure she'd become  
a detective and maybe that was still her aim, but Wyatt wasn't sure what she was studying. He really didn't know anything about this world.

"I need to talk to you, Emily." Wyatt told her earnestly, "Please." He said in response to her nasty glares. He turned to Matthew, "Go upstairs, I'll check on you later."

"Promise?" Matthew asked insecurely. He didn't like the tense environment surrounding him.

"Yeah, sure." Wyatt seemed to push him away, afraid his sister would disappear and right now this conversation took precedent. Matthew left, waddling up the stairs.

Emma gave Wyatt a hasty glare, "There is nothing to talk about."

"I want to make penance." Wyatt seemed to whisper out, "I want to fix this."

"Then go and save all their lives, bring them back." Emma snapped shortly. All the deaths Wyatt had caused were not lost on her, not in the least, her three cousins and her brother's spouses...

"I can't!" Wyatt argued back helplessly, "And for that, I'm regretful, but there is nothing I can do about that world anymore."

"You don't get it, Wyatt." Emma responded harshly, "Would you have stopped what you were doing if you hadn't been brought here?"

"Probably not." Wyatt said back shamefully. It was the truth. If he had been left in his world, he would have continued on, not letting anyone stop him.

"Then you haven't changed." Emma explained to him with a cool glare, "You haven't earned the right to be here. Chris created this world as a means to escape from you."

"That's not true." Wyatt argued angrily.

"Really? So what motivation would he have for trying to change the past?" Emma asked Wyatt.

"Mom's Death... Dad's distance..." Wyatt began to list, not realizing Emma didn't want to hear of the horrors of the other world, "I wasn't the only thing wrong in that world. A lot of things were wrong."

"Chris fixed it and he fixed you too. You aren't supposed to exist." She mumbled with discontent, "You've done evil things and when I got to know who you could have been, it hurt me, because you are my brother and I could never love anyone more than my family!"

Wyatt seemed wounded by his sister's words; He didn't know what he was expecting, but it wasn't this. He supposed in an ideal world she would have been happy to see him, but that clearly didn't happen.

"I'm sorry." He said finally, realizing entirely that he was a broken bird. No one wanted him here and he was never aloud to go back to his rightful place; Drew was right, this was a punishment.

"So am I," Emma whispered coldly, "I'm sorry you feel making an apology is going to make up for the fact that you killed thousands of people."

* * *

"What are you doing?" Chris asked him, appearing in orbs. When Chris realized how close Wyatt was to the edge, he seemed to worry, "You need to back up."

"I'm going to fall from Grace." Wyatt said decisively. If C hris hadn't felt the desperation radiating off of his brother, he might think he was kidding.

Chris laughed nervously, "You're only half whitelighter. If you jump, you'll die. I don't really think any of us were ever at a point of grace to fall from."

"I saw her." Wyatt's tone was depressing and it made Chris wonder what exactly had been said.

"Who? Mom?" Chris asked him, sitting beside Wyatt, "Must have been tough." He tried to comfort his older brother.

"Prudence, she hates me." Wyatt corrected his brother sadly. Chris didn't blame Emma for hating Wyatt, it was perfectly normal to hate someone who killed most of your own family.

"Weren't you trying to kill her the last time you saw her?" Chris teased his brother gently.

"She's never going to forgive me." Wyatt explained to his brother, "And I can't do anything about it."

"Em had to stay in that world longer than I did. She saw more and lived through it longer than I did. It affected her more, not only because of what you did but because of all those we lost." Chris tried to comfort Wyatt, "She just  
needs time to understand that you aren't a threat anymore."

"You believe that?" Wyatt questioned his brother, slightly encouraged.

"I wish I didn't," Chris replied with discontent, "But I can feel it; You've managed to completely fall in love with this world in thirty-six hours. I had my initial doubts, but you haven't had a single hesitation. You  
love Alexis already and I've seen you fall in love with your son. It's tough, Wy, this is some twisted version of reality and it isn't healthy."

"Paige's daughter hates me too." Wyatt went on, "I always wondered what Aunt Paige's kids would have been like. I wondered if they would look like her or Uncle Henry... And Paige's daughter looks so much like her."

"Carter looks like Uncle Henry." Chris elaborated on their extended family, "And Nicole looks like an even mix between Paige and Henry."

"Do you think they will ever forgive me?" Wyatt asked Chris desperately.

Chris's expression was grim, "You killed people. A lot of people. We can't forgive you, simply by nature, Wy. To romanticize a killer is a dangerous place to go, but I'll give you one leeway and that is the fact that you would  
have never have committed such atrocities if Gideon hadn't twisted your sense of morality."

* * *

_June 2055: Present_

My younger brother has always been the hero.

It doesn't really matter when, where or what circumstances; He just has to save people. He has a thing for helping others.  
This passion was what motivated him to study social work in college, to practice magic and to guide our family and what motivated him to do something more important than anything else; To save me.

He has an energy that I cannot quite understand, but one that will never go out.

It just isn't in Chris's nature to let his loved ones go unprotected. Not our parents, not our sister, nor his wife, but most importantly his children.

Chris loves his children more than anything else. It was like he was following a path all along to his destiny as a father. One he carried out three times:  
First with Brianna, the love of his life, now twenty-seven years old. A few years later with Joey, his prized middle child, who is currently a graduate student in accounting at age twenty-four.  
And then many years later with the baby of the family, Leo Andrew, affectionately named "Drew", who is now sixteen years old and in his junior year of magic school.

But of course his lineage didn't end there. Brianna has a six year old, Piper Ainsley and a three year old, Phoebe Grace. I couldn't think of better names if I tried.

Like any good thing, I also had three children: Matthew was first, Alexis followed and Nate came the same year at Joey; 2031.

Matthew lived a happy childhood, but had a tougher time in his twenties. His wife had come and gone from this world too fast. A fate I felt was unfair for my poor son,  
who grieved each day for his deceased wife, but put on a brave face for his twin daughters. Madison and Angel share the same auburn hair color as their mother had,  
but inherited the ringlets they wear from me; A true message that life can be reborn in the most beautiful way and that second chances are not just fairy tales.

But any minute now, I shall expect a guest. You see, on October 3rd, 2028, I lost faith in the future. And so I cast a spell to take me forward in time to see if I would ever be forgiven and this is where I appeared.  
In my granddaughter's bedroom, on June 9th, 2055.

"Who are you?" I glanced upward, recalling a time my face held such youth.

"You know who I am." I responded to him naturally, "The spell worked, you know."

"So what is my answer?" My past counterpart asked me, "Will others ever look at me without contempt?"

"In time." I answered shortly, not desiring to give too much away.

"And who are they?" He asks me, staring directly at the sleeping twins.

"Matthew's" I told him with an admiring smile at the twins, "Can't you see his rosy cheeks?"

He studied the twins carefully, kneeling beside them cautiously and then whispered, "They look just like him."

"You loved Matthew before crossing over. It was a twisted version of love, but it was still an instinct. You needed your son in your life, that is why you chased after him so long." I explained to him, not moving from my rocking chair.

"Is that your personal justification even now?" Was his cool response. _So maybe I began to change faster than I can remember._

"It's about Alana, isn't it?" I asked him softly. Knowing full well how sick it made me, every time I thought about it now.

"How can you live with yourself, knowing that you hurt her so much? It makes me sick to think we share a bed now. I want to confess, but say I do, she'd probably have an anxiety attack."

And that was my weak spot. I had learned to move on from the deaths I caused, by means of excuses that I knew no better or that Gideon had made me who I was.  
Still, the initial rapes that later became affection and then turned back into rapes made me nauseous. I was attracted to her the moment I met her. I had never met someone so annoying, but so well-meaning.

I wanted to be near her, but had no idea how to be around her in a healthy way; I was the ruler of all!

So I committed one of the worst crimes there is. I raped her in order to break her will, thus conceiving our son. Oh Matthew, a golden child if there ever was one. When she found out she was pregnant, she was terrified.  
After all, she was barely twenty by then. We eventually learned to talk, coming to a consensus on our child's name and his future... but I was too twisted to understand how cruel I was being and when Alana found out she was pregnant  
again, that was her last straw. She ran away, only being saved by Chris.

It always comes back to Chris. He wants to save everyone, all the time. Is it healthy? Not at all, but it's who he is. What could be a better name than Christopher for someone who choose to sacrifice himself to save others.  
Do I think Chris is in any way comparable to God? No, of course not. I'm merely saying that he sacrificed himself to the benefit of others.

"You have to look to the future and make penance." I told my past counterpart, "You're twenty-five, you have plenty of time to get there. Just remember you can't blame others for how they react. You've got quiet a story built  
around who you are. Prove to them you can change, that you can successfully make the transition from bad to good."

"But I'm not-" He argued.

"You're not evil?" I offed with a half-smile, "Well, let's just say you've got a long way to go."

* * *

_October 3rd, 2028_

It's hard to believe that it's been an entire year since I arrived in this new future.  
In a year I managed to have a child, to bond with family (new and old) and to settle into a meaningful career.

It's impossible to believe that in a year I learned more than I had ever known before.

My perseverance proved worthwhile and I can only give my gratitude to one person.

Mom, I love you. I miss you. Even though you never died here, it's not like I can forget your death.  
Your easy smile and sharp reprimand motivate me to value each day more than the last.

Thank you for all that you did for me in the short time I got to know you,  
you will live on eternally in my memories. I hope you are having a peaceful afterlife with Aunt Prue, Aunt Paige and Aunt Phoebe.  
More than anything, I hope that Katie, Ray and Jay aren't getting on your nerves.

I know you smile down on me, always keeping me safe.

Which is why I want to tell you something...  
I forgive Wyatt.

I won't hold anything against him.  
And I know you would want this for us: A clean slate.


	47. Children

Author's Note:

I love everyone for reading this story and for reviewing.

In case you've forgotten, I've got links to pictures of all the Halliwell children in my profile.  
My favorite stories list also has a good selection of Chris stories, if you're looking for one :)

* * *

**Brianna Melinda - 2034**

Today I am six years old! When I was little, my cousin Matty told me that when I was as big as him, he would let me play with his toys.

"Happy Birthday, Bee." Daddy kisses me on the cheek, bringing me into a hug, "I can't believe my little girl is growing up."

"Daddy!" I squirm uncomfortably, "I'm too big for hugs. Hugs are for babies!"

Daddy looks sad now. Usually he just laughs and kisses my forehead, but now he looks upset like when  
Mommy yells at him at him for forgetting to do stuff.

"You're never too old for a hug from your dad." He laughs gently, rubbing my back affectionately.

"Matty doesn't hug Uncle Wy!" I respond, using my best line. Matty is eight, almost nine. He's the oldest, so he gets to do the best things!

Daddy returns to a state of sadness. Maybe I should get Joey to give him a hug! Joey does anything to make Daddy happy because  
Joey is boy just like Daddy. Mommy is a Phoenix witch and I don't know what that means, except that I have a bird tattoo on wrist  
and that one day I'll get some of Mommy's powers. Mommy says that Joey won't get any of her powers because he's a boy. So this is  
something special between Mommy and Me.

I love being the oldest, because that makes me the boss of Joey, even though it means I have to share my toys with him. Since I'm bigger,  
my powers are stronger and I can make things go boom! Daddy says that was Grandma's power and Auntie Emma's!

Aunt Emma is a teacher to third graders. Matty is in third grade, except he goes to magic school instead of regular school. Magic school is  
better because if you go there, then you have powers and powers are fun to have!

"Go play, Bee." Daddy tells me as he begins to lay out plates for all my friends. All my friends are here at the park for my party. Golden Gate Park is the best  
park in all of the world because it has flowers everywhere. I want to play in the flowers! I don't know how far the flowers are, so I'm going to orb to them!

Found them! The park has all different kinds of flowers, like red ones, blue ones and even pink ones! Matty doesn't like flowers because he says they're for girls  
only, but I think a boy who likes would be fun! Then we could pick flowers together and make mommy a pretty bouquet.

My magic school teacher likes to ask us what we want to be when we grow up. All the boys want to be those people who go to the Moon, or the people who  
save you from danger! That's what Mommy does! When you dial 911, she answers the phone and then comes to rescue you! Daddy helps kids who have confused parents.  
The kids he helps have parents that don't know how to take care of them, so daddy finds them help until the parents learn how to be better.

Uncle Wyatt is a doctor. He makes it so that sick people feel better and sometimes he even gives shots. I don't like shots because they hurt a lot and are scary,  
but afterwards I always get stickers and stickers are the best part. Uncle Wy says that shots make it so people don't get sick, but I would rather be sick because then  
I won't have to go to school and do spelling practice.

Aunt Alana works with daddy and the kids. Lexis says that her Mom has been working at the job longer than my daddy, but it doesn't matter because  
no one is smarter than my dad!

Lexis is my best friend, most of the time, except when she tries to tell me what to do. I was born before her, so I should tell her what to do instead! Daddy says  
I should be nice because Lexis is family, but I think we'd be friends even if we weren't cousins.

"Brianna! Thank God I found you!" Daddy calls, looking worried.

"Aren't the flowers pretty?" I giggle, picking a dandelion.

And then Daddy looks mad, "Why did you do that?" He demands angrily, "You know better than to leave without an adult!"

"I wanted to play with flowers." I answer automatically, offering him my dandelion, "If you blow on it, your wish comes true!"

Daddy doesn't look any better, so I do what I always do, I hug him. I look up, hopefully he feels better now. He softens, "Don't ever do this again!" He sighs, changing the subject, "I thought you were too old to hug your dad?"

"I changed my mind." I tell him simply. I'm a big girl now, which means I know when daddy needs a hug.

* * *

**Alexis Rochelle - 2041 (Age 13)**

My mom just does not understand! I shouldn't be grounded for Nate spying on me. I didn't even hurt him that bad!  
All I did was fling him into a wall!  
Well maybe if he hadn't been so damn nosy, I wouldn't have had to take matters into my own hands.

Fine, I'll play this game. When he's thirteen, I'll spy on him and tell the girls he like embarrassing stories.

What makes things worse is that Byron was a mortal boy. If Nate had exposed us, Byron would have thought I was a freak.

I have to admit, though, I'm lucky that Nate got in the way.  
Mortal boys are sort of boring.

* * *

**Nathaniel Christopher - 2047 (Age 16)**

Weddings are boring. With how many I've been to, I would know.

I started when I was four. My dad's cousin, Rachel, got married.  
At six, I was asked to be a ring bearer at my Aunt Emma's wedding.

Cousin Michael got married when I was nine. Penny got married five years ago.  
Carter got married two years ago, Nicole a year later.

Keeping track? That's six weddings in ten years.

Dad is the oldest of ten cousins, so it's reason to be that this family is huge.  
Out of them all, I think Aunt Emma's husband is my favorite;  
He's a whitelighter born to a whitelighter and her client, a future whitelighter.

Don't get me wrong, I think Aunt Bi is great, but she's tough!  
Me and Joey, we don't get away with anything.

Especially today. There are strict orders not to use magic on such a special day.

Matthew is the best man. In part, because he is family, but also because our Dad is best friends  
with Dylan's dad.

Alexis looks at, dragging at my coat, "Come on, time for pictures of the wedding party."

"I'm not in the wedding party." and that's why I am so damn bored. Joey is a groomsman, Matt is the best man,  
Alexis is a bridesmaid, Drew is the ring bearer, Charlotte is the flower girl and Cassandra is off playing with some of her little friends.

Hats off to you, Bri. It's your wedding day.

* * *

**Joseph Victor - 2052 (age 21)**

Top five reasons why being an accounting major sucks.

1. No one is impressed that you took seven semesters of math.  
2. Getting a 3.5 gradepoint average in Accounting is a lot tougher than getting a 3.5 in Social Work, Criminal Justice or Communication.  
3. Accounting, as a major, is founded on simple principals. If you do not understand these principals, you won't get very far.  
4. People think accounting and finance are the same. Trust me, they aren't.  
5. This is the easy part. When I get into the real world, it'll be a thousand times worse.

Top five reasons being a Halliwell sucks.

1. Your older, reportedly pregnant, slightly insane sister calls you, screaming, because you missed your niece's second birthday.  
2. Your grandmother is a Charmed One, so therefor you have the super-hero gene running through you innately.  
3. Your surname obligates you to interrupt your studying just to vanquish a demon that might come after some innocent you don't know yet, one day.  
4. Your little brother hates you because you've promised him several times that you'd come to his soccer games, but you don't because you sleep late on Saturdays.  
5. Your power of knowledge absorption does not work on school work, because your grandfather thought it wasn't fair to those without the power.

Top five powers I want.

1. Freezing time, so when I'm put on the spot, I can give myself a moment to speak.  
2. Molecular combustion, so I can blow up the guy next to me who never stops asking questions.  
3. Telepathy, so I knew the answers to exams.  
4. Time travel, so I could back in time and tell myself how boring accounting is as a major.  
5. Premonition, so I could... well you know.

Top five reasons I'm writing top five lists.

1. I haven't done my homework yet.  
2. My homework is due tomorrow.  
3. Professor Ames is generally unforgiving.  
4. I wish there was a demon to vanquish.  
5. Thinking about graduate school stresses me out.

* * *

**Leo Andrew- 2057 (Age 18)**

I don't know much about the world. I barely graduated from magic school with a 2.5 gradepoint average.

Not because I didn't magic or practical skills interesting...

Actually, that's exactly it. **Magic isn't that interesting**.

You can obviously gather that I am not my parent's pride and joy.  
Brianna does everything right. She is married, has three perfect children, a nice condo, even a college degree in communication, but that isn't what makes her so fantastic.  
No, it's her ability to take care of so much and to still be a whitelighter.  
My older brother, Joey, he's twenty-six and holds some fancy degree in accounting.  
All to make a bunch of money that he keeps to himself.

_But there are a few things I know about the world that my siblings don't know._

First and foremost, family comes first, always. No matter the circumstances and no matter your personal qualms.  
Second of all, I know that no matter how tough my father is on my siblings, he will always be one thousand times tougher on me.  
Lastly, that no one will ever know my father's story in its entirety. Excluding of course, Uncle Wyatt, Aunt Emma and myself.

Maybe it was the put out expression I had on my face as a child when my brother and sister ditched me to play with their friends (I was eight and they were sixteen and nineteen respectively),  
but something made Uncle Wyatt share his secrets with me; I know it all: his being evil, my father going back to save him and his reward in a new future... this future.

It was then that I realized how much my father loved me. I hadn't been born yet, I wasn't even a conceived notion, but my father fought for my existence.  
Not only my existence, but so many others as well. He could have given up and laid the burden on someone else's shoulders, but that wasn't his style.  
He was only twenty-one when he traveled backwards in time to prevent Uncle Wyatt from becoming the greatest evil the world would come to know.

So there it is, my father is a super hero and my mother was a trained assassin once upon a time.  
My sister is the apple of their eye and my brother has a job that he has just go to hate, only so he can share the limelight with Brianna.  
I get it though, I was not planned. I mean, who has two children in three years and then decides that they want another baby eight years later?

Everyone tells me how much I look like my dad.

I have his green eyes and dark brown hair. Mom swears that Dad gave me his sense of humor for Christmas.  
Any stranger will tell you how much I look like my father, but they can't understand how it feels to hear such a remark.

How can I ever live up to the man who saved the entire world?


	48. Verity

Thank you to everyone who review this story and gave me encouraging advice.  
I would like to especially thank LizardMomma, who submitted countless reviews.  
As well as Klutz242, ForeverChrisFan and Phil. Your encouragement inspired me to continue I story that I first began at age twelve.

I may write another Charmed story in the future, but in the meantime, I would love to read some good fanfics.  
So if you write stories, send me a link and I'd love to read them.

* * *

November 19th, 2028

This world is different. It grooves to its own beat.

Wyatt makes stupid jokes.  
Rachel wants to be an inventor.  
Jacob just wants a normal life.  
Emma always has something to say.

_Okay... so I guess it's not that different._

Penny knows everything about everyone.  
Michael wishes he didn't.  
Carter thrives on his new leadership position.  
Nicole recently decided she is too cool for Katie.  
And Katie has recently decided she's too old for hugs.

Matthew starts Pre-kindergarten next fall.  
Brianna is crawling.  
And from what I hear, Alexis is finally sleeping through the night.

Bianca is back on active duty, protecting the citizens of San Francisco.  
Alana has recently decided she wants to work especially with adoption.

Don't tell Aunt Phoebe, but maybe she was right... I'm not half bad at being a social worker.

By the way, 2004 version of Aunt Paige, I made it to twenty-four,  
so take that!

I met my future son-in-law last week.  
He's cute... for a one year old.  
But if he lays a hand on my daughter.  
God help me, I will not hesitate to... put him in timeout?

I guess I'll have to keep an eye out on him for the rest of his life.  
Something Drew said makes me think these two are going to be handful.

Even if some days don't go the way I want them to, they'll get better.  
After all, this world is a self-portrait of beautiful chaos.

A true miracle in the midst of my disbelief.

**THE END**


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